


For Their Future

by gingersnapper



Series: For Their Future Universe [1]
Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: Childbirth, F/M, Marriage, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Rebellion, Spoilers for Prequel: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, everlark, ghost - Freeform, mention of rape
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:14:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 27
Words: 148,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26402506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingersnapper/pseuds/gingersnapper
Summary: A fight for justice is not a fight for the present, it is a fight for the future. Freedom fighters know that the world will not change in a day, but they fight for a better world for their children.Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are brought together by fate, but a little wrench is thrown into the plans - that is, a wrench that resembles a tiny version of a mix between Katniss and Peeta, something that Katniss was vehemently opposed to. Now that she has this child, she will go to any length to protect her, but what will she be forced to do? What would it take to break the spirits of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark?AU set in a similar universe to ‘Our Anthem’ in which Katniss is a refugee from Hebridia (formerly Scotland). This is an AU in which the rebellion takes place not during the Quarter Quell but much later. The Quarter Quell does not reap victors and instead, Peeta and Katniss are mentors.Part One of Two - To be followed by ‘Freedom Fighters’.
Relationships: Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark
Series: For Their Future Universe [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1963906
Comments: 29
Kudos: 33





	1. A Second Chance

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for taking an interest! I got a sudden idea to write this AU of my AU of the Hunger Games (AU-ception?) from a dream and now I’m excited to bring it to life! Hope you enjoy!
> 
> I do suggest you take a look at the prologue of my other epic story, ‘Our Anthem’, as it is a brief explanation of Katniss’s background and the changes I made to her character. However, the changes I made are also revealed and explained in various parts of this story, so you don’t have to look at it.

* * *

**KATNISS POV**

* * *

I never intended on it happening, but it did. It was the night before the 74th Hunger Games and I couldn’t sleep due to the noise of the crowd of the Capitol, so I left my room and found him sitting beside a window staring out of it. He didn’t hear my quiet steps approaching, but I also didn’t try to conceal them. “Couldn’t sleep?” I asked him, and he startled slightly, turning his head to look up at me.

“Hey,” he said cheerfully, a smile stretching across his face, as if only a few hours ago, I hadn’t shoved him into a plant after his admission of love for me in front of the entire country. “Are you all right?”

“Fine, just... couldn’t sleep,” I said, gesturing to the racket outside.

“Neither could I,” he muttered back as I sat down on the floor across from him. A moment of silence passed between us, he staring out the window and I staring at him, his blonde curls in a mussed state above his eyes.

“I’m sorry I shoved you into a plant,” I told him sincerely, and he looked at me.

“It’s okay,” he said. “I’m sorry I embarrassed you on TV. I hope I didn’t...” He paused for a moment. “I hope everything will be okay... when you go back home...” He seemed so sure that I would win, but I didn’t want to talk about the Games right now.

“There’d be nothing waiting for me,” I confessed. Another moment of silence passed between us. “What are you thinking about?”

“How I don’t want them to change me, or who I am...” he said.

“You won’t kill anyone?”

“I’m sure if it came down to it, I’d kill like anyone else... but I don’t want to have to, and I don’t want that to become my new definition.”

“You know yours, then?”

“I think so.”

“What is it?”

“I don’t know... People say I’m nice, charming... a screw up for sure, and not very good at a lot of things...”

“You’re not a screw up, Peeta.” It was the first time I’d said his name since this morning, and for some reason, it felt different, not only to me but to him as well, and he noticed it. “You are nice, and charming, and you’re not a screw up and you are very good at a lot of things. You told me you decorate the cakes at the bakery... I’ve seen them, and they’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I’ve had your bread before, when your father and I traded bread for squirrels, and you make the best bread out of everyone there. You’re the kindest person I know... you were the only one who was kind to me when I first came here from Hebridia... No one else was. I’d been through something awful, and the kindest person to me that wasn’t doing it out of sympathy was you. That’s something that not everyone is good at. You’re just... you’re incredible, Peeta... and I don’t want... I don’t want... I just wanted you to know, before...” I didn’t want to say ‘before you die’, because I knew that in order for me to get home, he would have to die, and I didn’t want to admit to that, either. I looked down at my feet, feeling tears stinging at my eye, and I tried my best to hide them, but I felt a thumb at my cheek swiping the tears away, and when I looked up, my eyes were met by a handsome pair of sky blue eyes. “...and you’re handsome, too...” I whispered, and he smiled.

“I didn’t think you remembered any of that... from when we were kids,” he told me, pulling his hand away from my face. I immediately missed the warmth of his hand and silently begged him to put it back.

“We’re still kids,” I told him. “I remembered everything... even though there were times that I didn’t understand what you were saying to me, I knew that you were being kind.” I glanced back down and wiped my eyes with my sleeve. “I think we should try to sleep...” The smile on Peeta’s face faded as he remembered what tomorrow would bring.

“Yeah,” he whispered, and he stood and then held out a hand to me, the same way he had when Merx Mueller had pushed me into a mud puddle when I was nine years old - the moment, I realise now, that I fell in love with the kind and selfless Peeta Mellark. I held his gaze for a moment, then took his hand and allowed him to help me stand, and we stood in front of each other, never letting the other’s gaze drop. “Goodnight, Katniss,” he whispered. He let go of my hand and started towards his room, but I wasn’t ready to let him leave. I wasn’t ready to be without him and I couldn’t stop myself when I turned around and cried out,

“Peeta, wait!” He stopped, then turned around to see what probably looked like a maniacal, panicked expression plastered on my face.

“What’s wrong?” he asked me, worry etched in his brow, and after a moment of contemplating if I should just say ‘nevermind’ and go to bed, I launched myself at him and leapt into arms, wrapping mine around his neck tightly and causing him to stumble backwards. “Katniss, what’s the matter?” he asked me, surprised that I had done this, but that didn’t stop him from holding me and protectively running a hand through my hair and rubbing my back.

“Stay with me, Peeta... please...” I begged him, and I felt his lips bury themselves in my hair.

“Always,” he whispered into my ear. I led him to my room to sleep, refusing to let go of his hand, and when he climbed into the bed and shifted the covers to make room for me, I dove on top of him and grabbed his face in my hands, pressing my lips against his firmly. I have no idea what came over me that night, but something in me refused to die without knowing what this beautiful, wonderful boy with the bread’s love felt like. We were just kids, hardly sixteen, but we felt like adults, with all we’d been through. We shed our clothes and our hands found our most private and intimate places before we were joined in an action meant only for lovers. Were we lovers? Peeta confessed to having feelings for me since we were children, and I had no idea where my feelings lay, but I knew that the place in my heart, the hole that, according to Hebridean belief, is empty until it is filled by the joining of bodies of yourself and your soulmate, belonged to him. And it scared the shit out of me.

I don’t think I need to go in detail about the Games. You already know what happened. You remember the historic rule change I’m sure, the one where they allowed two victors from the same district instead of one. You’ll remember how I found Peeta by the riverbed and cried tears of joy when I found him alive, but injured. I tended to his wounds, blushing furiously when he sat naked before me while I washed his clothes in the river (he wouldn’t stop flirting with me and trying to embarrass me more, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that he was the one naked on Capitol television). We kissed more in the cave and he tried to get a confession of love out of me, one that I wasn’t fully ready to give, I defied him to get his life-saving medicine that would give me more time with him, a point I made with my lips against his. You’ll remember how we battled Cato and had to hear his insufferable wails while the mutts attacked him, until I finally put him out of his misery with an arrow to the head, and how the gamemakers proved that they didn’t really want to save us both after all - they wanted the drama of one of us killing the other, something we both refused to do.

“ _The earlier rule change declaring that two tributes of the same district may win has been revoked, and there can only be one victor. May the odds be ever in your favour_.” came the announcement, and my heart sank. I looked at Peeta, who didn’t look shocked, but the pain in his eyes told me that he was already beginning to accept his death - something I couldn’t allow. We should have known - they weren’t really going to let us both win.

“They can’t do that,” I whispered. “No, they can’t do that!”

“But they are,” he told me quietly. I thought that we were getting out, that we’d both go home and we’d be happy for the rest of our lives. Maybe we’d be friends, or maybe we would be lovers, but now, we’ll never know. One of us would have to die, and we wouldn’t get to be together after all. I watched as Peeta pulled a knife out of his pocket, and I reached for my bow with the thought that he’d faked it the whole time because he knew he wouldn’t have stood a chance otherwise flitting through my mind, but then he simply flipped it over in his hand, offering me the handle. “Go on, do it.” I stared at him incredulously. He was trying to sacrifice himself for me. “Katniss, take it.”

“No,” I said, throwing down my bow and my quiver of arrows. “I won’t.”

“Katniss, one of us has to die,” he told me with a tone of annoyance in his voice.

“Then it’ll be me,” I replied.

“You have something to live for, I don’t. Please, Katniss... let’s just get this over with, so you can go home and get back to your family,” he begged me. I didn’t know what to do. Maybe I could take the knife and stab myself with it? If he was telling the truth, he may not be able to handle it, but he’d eventually move on, right? I took the knife, looking down at it in my hands. “Just do it quickly...” I looked up at him, then shook my head as I realised exactly what I should do and threw the knife as far away from us as I could. “Katniss-”

“I’m not killing you.”

“I’m not killing you, either. Do you really think that I could? Katniss, I’ve been in love with you since we were eight years old. I can’t! Please don’t make me...” I pulled him into a tight hug, which he returned, and brushed my fingers through his hair.

“If you won’t kill me, and since I won’t kill you...” I reached for a pouch on my belt, then opened it up, dumping the nightlock berries we’d found earlier into the palm of my hand. “...then we’ll go together.” He stared for a moment at my hand, and then looked up at my face. It dawned on him what I was asking him to do - if we both couldn’t leave the arena then neither of us were. “If they want to take one of us away from the other, then they won’t have a victor this year. It’s either both of us or neither of us.”

“Katniss...”

“Hold out your hand.” He did as he was told, and I dropped some of the berries into his open palm. He looked at them for a moment, and then back up at me, tears threatening his eyes.

“I can’t let you do this...”

“I’m not leaving this arena without you,” I told him defiantly, and he nodded gently. With my free hand, I caught his chin with my fingers and brought his lips to mine one final time, kissing him with a passion that I was convinced I was only pretending existed. I broke the kiss first this time, and then met his eyes. I couldn’t stop the tears that were falling from my eyes, and using his thumb, he wiped them away, then took my braid between his fingers. “Together?” I finally said, and he nodded gently.

“Together,” he replied, and we raised the berries to our mouths.

I felt the berries touch my lips when we were both startled by a loud booming, “STOP,” and then silence. “May we present the victors of the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark of District Twelve.” Peeta and I both threw the berries to the ground and I threw my arms around his neck and he lifted me off of my feet, peppering my face with kisses as I did his.

“We’re going home,” he said to me through tears of joy. “Both of us, we’re going home...”

At the post-Games interview, I couldn’t stop myself from touching him constantly. I feared that if I stopped, he would disappear and I’d never see him again. It had been days since I saw him in the arena, when they took him away from me and separated us. They got us camera ready yet again and when we were finally reunited, I ran to him and leapt into his arms and he held me tightly, and since then, I haven’t let him go. That same night, before we were due to get on the train back to District Twelve, Peeta tried to go back to his room, but I panicked and clung to him, crying into his shoulder until he agreed to stay with me. I don’t know what led me to act like a silly fool in love, but perhaps, although I didn’t know it at the time, I was.

On the train back, when we’d stopped to refuel, Peeta took my hand and led me out to walk along the tracks while we waited. He handed me a handmade bouquet of wildflowers, and I couldn’t help but smile at the fact that they were the tops of wild onions. He saw my smile and the gentle blush that formed on my cheeks and he lightly pressed a kiss against my flushed cheek, giving my hand a squeeze as we walked along the tracks. “You’re so quiet,” he said after a while. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing,” I told him, a distant look in my eye. I let go of his hands to cross my arms across my chest insecurely, refusing to meet his eyes.

“It doesn’t look like ‘nothing’,” Peeta said to me, clearly bothered by the fact that I let his hand go.

“I promise, Peeta. It’s nothing,” I replied, and he let out a sigh.

“Okay,” was all he said, and we walked in silence for a little longer. After a while, we each felt a hand grasp our shoulders and we jumped and turned, the bouquet of onion flowers whacking Peeta in the chest.

“Whoa, calm down, you two,” said Haymitch with a chuckle. “Just wanted to tell you great job and remind you two to keep it up in the district until the cameras are gone. Then we should be okay.” Oh shit. My stomach dropped, and my eyes quickly flitted to Peeta’s and noticed the confused expression on his face. I thought I would have had more time to explain myself, or to maybe fall in love with him for real at the rate we’d been going, but now Haymitch has ruined everything, and I steeled my face and glared at him.

“Keep it up... Keep what up? Katniss, what’s he mean?” Peeta asked me, turning to look at me, and I held the steeled expression on my face. I might as well tell him the truth.

“It’s the Capitol. They’re pissed about the stunt with the berries,” I told him neutrally.

“Stunt? What? What are you talking about?” he asked me, a touch of hurt showing in his voice. Perhaps I shouldn’t have called it a ‘stunt’.

“It seemed too... ach, what’s the word... rebellious? Haymitch has been coaching me through the last few days, so I wouldn’t make it any worse,” I explained, struggling for a moment with my language barrier. Despite the fact that I had been speaking English almost constantly for the last eight years, I still struggled with some of the words.

“Coaching you... but not me?” The hurt was gone, and there was anger in his voice. I didn’t dare meet his eyes. “ _Katniss_.”

“He knew you were smart enough to get it right, I’m not,” I told him quickly, almost mashing the words together and keeping my eyes averted.

“I didn’t know there was anything to ‘get right’,” he hissed. “So what you’re saying is these last few days... and then I guess back in the arena... all that was just some _strategy_ that you two worked out?”

“Boy, you popped the idea for it!” Haymitch said, coming to my defence, but I held up a hand to stop him. I could handle this on my own, and I finally met Peeta’s angry eyes.

“How could it be? I couldn’t even talk to him in the arena,” was what stumbled out of my mouth. Goddamn it, where did that come from? It only made him madder.

“But you knew what he wanted you to do, didn’t you?” I opened my mouth to answer, but he cut me off. “ _Didn’t you?_ ” I couldn’t speak, except for a small squeak that I let out as Peeta took a step towards me, glaring down at me as I took a step back. It was like his words had reached out and grabbed my tongue, slicing it out like an avox. “So it was all an act... For the Games, how you acted. All of it.”

“Not all of it,” I whispered, defeated. I could see the pain in his eyes, masked by fury, and it broke my heart to see him this way. I had to tell him the full truth. I couldn’t keep denying my feelings, not to myself and certainly not to him.

“Then how much of it? No, forget that. I guess the real question is what’s going to be left when we get home?”

“I don’t know. The closer we get to Twelve, the... the more confused I get. I don’t know what I feel exactly. Peeta, I-”

“We gotta go, kids.” Haymitch said, interrupting us. Peeta glared at me, and I only glanced at him sadly.

“Well, let me know when you work it out,” Peeta told me, and he began to stalk off towards the train after Haymitch.

“Gladly,” I said back, and he stopped. “Haymitch, hold the train for five minutes.”

“Effie ain’t gonna like that,” Haymitch warned me.

“I don’t care. Tell her she can personally pull off any strip of wax on my skin that she chooses,” I spat back, shooing him away. Peeta remained rooted where he stood and I took a few steps towards him. “Peeta, look at me.”

“I don’t want to,” he said, somewhat childishly, so I stalked around to the front of him and faced him.

“I meant what I said when I said, ‘not all of it was an act’ and if you would like me to tell you exactly when it stopped being one, I gladly will, but I don’t think that’s what you need to hear. What you need to know is...” I paused, trying to find the best way to word my answer to him while he waited silently and stoically for me to answer him. It wasn’t just my language barrier that was a cause for problem in my speech - I was just simply terrible with words. “You’ve had _years_ on me, Peeta. You say you’ve been in love with me since we were eight. That’s _eight years_ . I’ve only just begun to realise that I even _have_ the ability to have feelings for someone. How can you expect me to fall in love with you the minute you announce to the _entire country_ that you’re in love with me? What the hell am I supposed to do with that?” He didn’t answer me, so I continued. “Peeta... I told you before, you were the only one who was kind to me when we were kids, and that’s stuck with me. I didn’t forget any of that. I don’t have the time to go into full detail right now and maybe someday I will but... Peeta, when I first came to Panem, I had just lost my entire family. My parents, my five brothers and my little sister.”

“Your brothers?” Peeta asked, interrupting me.

“Yes, I had five brothers and a little sister, one that wasn’t Prim. She’s my cousin... but I’ll explain that another time. When I came to Panem, our ship was attacked and I lost everyone. And when I arrived, alone and scared and not speaking a word of English, the people were so cruel to me, even Agnessa, who was supposed to be a mother figure to me, was cold. I learned how to hide any feelings of affection I had for anyone, except for Prim, because it just got me scolded or laughed at or hurt. Perhaps I buried that knowledge too far, because I don’t know how to love anyone but her.” He remained silent, and perhaps I still hadn’t said anything good enough to answer him. “What I’m saying is... I’d be lying if I told you I... didn’t... have feelings for... for you... I don’t know what they are. Maybe they’re love... Maybe they’re friendship... But I don’t know. It’s going to take me more than a week to figure that out, and I need you to show me how. And thank God you’re alive so I have that chance.” I gave him a gentle smile, but his face remained stern. “You know your way around your heart, I’m only just discovering that I still have one...”

“So when you kissed me in the cave... when you told me that you wanted a lifetime of those... Did you mean that?” he asked me. I couldn’t say anything, as it would give away the tears that were threatening my eyes, so I nodded. “And when I picked the berries, when we heard the cannon and you thought it was for me... When you cried and yelled at me for scaring you and kissed me, did you mean it then?” I nodded again. “And right before we tried to eat the berries, when you said you weren’t going to leave the arena without me... did you mean it then?”

“Yes... I knew that if you’d died, I’d never leave that arena,” I told him, tears threatening my eyes. I wanted to look away, but if I wanted Peeta to believe me, then I had to look him in the eye, even if it meant that he saw me crying.

“What about the night before the Games? You know... When we were together... Did you mean that?” This one caught me off guard because he hadn’t mentioned it since it happened - in fact, neither of us had. I almost thought he’d forgotten about the night we’d claimed as lovers - the night we gave ourselves to one another in full. Slowly, I nodded my head.

“Yes, I did, and everything I said before that moment,” I told him, now closing my eyes as a tear slid down my cheek. I couldn’t look at him anymore, not without the threat of more tears spilling from my eyes. I felt the pad of his thumb wipe that single tear away, and I opened my eyes to see that he had stepped nearer to me and his hand hovered over my cheek. “Help me, Peeta... I don’t know what I’m feeling...” I couldn’t control the tears any longer. It was like a dam had broken behind my eyes. He pulled me into his arms and I threw mine around his abdomen, sobbing into his shoulder as he held and soothed me.

“Shhh, Katniss... Let’s just start over, okay? Pretend the last couple of weeks didn’t happen...”

“I can’t do that...”

“All right, then let’s just start on a blank page.” He let go of me and stepped back, then held out his hand in front of me, a boyish grin on his face as I wiped the tears from my eyes. “Hi, I’m Peeta Mellark.” I smiled gently, then took his hand in mine.

“Katniss Fòlais.”

“Fòlais?”

“That’s my family’s real name... Everdeen was, I guess, an English version of my mother’s family’s name, Èibhinndùn, but... Fòlais was my name before I came here. And you can’t call me that in Twelve... only when it’s just the two of us, and there’s no chance of it being heard. Nobody... nobody else knows about that... except Agnessa and Prim, of course.” He smiled at me, glad to be the only one outside of my family to know my little secret.

“Well... Katniss Fòlais... it’s a pleasure to meet you.” We were interrupted by a loud whistle coming from Haymitch.

“Get your asses back on the train! I can’t give ya any more time!” he shouted back at us, and we both chuckled to ourselves.

“Can’t wait you get to know you,” said Peeta with a smile, and I couldn’t stop myself from returning it. He really was too good for me. We started heading back towards the train, not holding hands but not far apart, either.

“These are onion flowers, by the way. They’re for eating, not for trying to seduce a girl,” I told him with a teasing tone, and he chuckled.

“I’ll remember that next time,” he told me as we approached the car. “What’re your favourite flowers?” I stopped as I climbed the steps of the car and looked down at him, a gentle blush creeping up in my cheeks.

“Dandelions,” I replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was Peeta wrong to give Katniss a second chance?
> 
> Please review!


	2. Thawing An Icy Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peeta and Katniss attend the mayor’s dinner after the Games. Katniss finally has the chance to speak to Gale.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ‘Thug Mi Gaol’ — Gràinne Holland

* * *

**PEETA POV**

* * *

When we got to District Twelve, we had to keep up the facade that we were the star-crossed lovers, but Katniss and I knew that it wasn’t real. I was happy to hear that she did have feelings for me after all, but she just didn’t know what those feelings were. It gave me a chance to finally do all of the things I had dreamt of doing for years to impress her, gain her attention and be romantic. We hardly had any time alone together in the days following our return to Twelve, which made it hard for me to try and be romantic with her.

There was one night, however, when I did have that opportunity, and it was the night of the dinner at Mayor Undersee’s home. Katniss and I would arrive on our own accord, having been prepped beforehand, and I was looking forward to taking the opportunity to pick her up and take her there as if it were a date. I had collected some dandelion flowers beforehand, along with some other wildflowers, and fashioned them into a bouquet that I would give to her when I met her outside of her home, which was across from mine in Victors’ Village. I had had my hair trimmed a little shorter earlier in the day by my prep team and I was dressed in a grey suit with a forest green tie. In my hands was the bouquet I had made for Katniss and I nervously checked my watch, wondering if I’d come out too early. I was startled when I heard the door open and Katniss stepped out, wearing a forest green ball gown with sleeves that draped off the shoulders and a cream-coloured shawl wrapped around her shoulders. Her hair was up in an elegantly braided updo and on her neck was an elegant bronze necklace with emerald gems embedded inside. I couldn’t help my jaw when it fell open upon my first glimpse of her, and she blushed and smiled at me.

“Are you going to stare at me all day or are you going to say something, Peeta Mellark?” she asked me, her lilting Hebridean accent pulling me from my trance.

“You...” I began, struggling for words. “You look... so beautiful...” I gave her a smile, which she returned, and held out my hand to lead her down the stairs, which she took. She lifted the hem of her dress so she wouldn’t trip, revealing the bronze heels on her feet, as she descended the stairs and stopped right in front of me.

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” she told me, now meeting my blue eyes with her stormy grey ones. “Did you... Is your hair shorter?”

“Yeah, uh... my prep team thought I needed a haircut,” I said, and then I remembered the bouquet. “Uh... this is for you.” I pulled it out from behind my back and handed it to her, and she smiled when she took it.

“Thank you, Peeta,” she said, admiring the arrangement of the flowers.

“You’re welcome,” I said, and then a moment of silence passed between us. “Can... can I... Can I kiss your cheek?” I asked suddenly, blushing the moment the words came out of my mouth, and she, too, flushed the same cherry red colour as she nodded. I then bent down just a little and softly pressed a kiss to her cheek, feeling that heat under her skin.

“We should... We should probably get going... Effie won’t like us being late again,” she told me, looking anywhere but directly at my eyes, and I couldn’t help but chuckle. After Katniss had held the train to talk to me about how she felt about me, Effie had gone insane about the schedule and kept pressing the conductor to drive the train faster, and she certainly didn’t fail to chew us out for throwing us off schedule. I held out my arm to Katniss, who took it, and we walked together to Mayor Undersee’s house.

The dinner itself was pleasant, I suppose. As pleasant as it could be when you’re rewarded for either killing or surviving twenty-two other kids. Afterwards, we milled about, socialising with Capitol officials and the mayor, chatting away with Mayor Undersee’s daughter, Madge, who turned out to be a mutual friend between Katniss and I - she’d given Katniss the mockingjay pin that she wore in the arena. We danced, both with people we didn’t want to dance with and with each other, and eventually were separated for a while. I looked for her, but couldn’t find her anywhere, so I snuck upstairs in hopes of finding her seeking a moment of peace when I saw her standing on the balcony of the second floor. “Hey,” I said as I approached her, and she turned to look at me and smiled somewhat sadly.

“Hi,” she said as I took my place beside her.

“What’re you doing out here?” I asked her, standing about a foot away from her.

“Thinking,” she replied, looking back out at the night sky.

“About?”

“Lots of things. My family, my future... what’s to come...” She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye. “...you...”

“Me, huh?” I gave her a smile. “You wanna talk about what’s on your mind?”

“Not particularly... at least, not right now. I’ve done enough talking for a lifetime, my throat’s starting to go hoarse.” She cleared her throat a little.

“We don’t have to talk. We can just stand here. I’m perfectly content just being with you.”

“Peeta,” she said, just to say my name. She gave me a gentle smile and then took a step to her right, towards me, and wrapped her arms around my torso in a rare sign of affection. I glanced around to see if there were any cameras, but there weren’t any. At least, no visible cameras. I knew that she’d said she did have feelings for me, but a part of me still needed to know if her actions were for the cameras or for me. I wrapped my arms around her and held her against my chest, and she closed her eyes and pressed her ear against my heart. A moment of silence passed as we held each other under the night sky when she started softly whispering the words of a song in a language I couldn’t understand.

_Thug mi gaol, thug mi gaol,_

_Thug mi gaol don fhear bhàn,_

_Agus gealladh dhutsa, luaidh_

_O cha dual dhomh bhith slàn_

_Chaidh am bàta troimh na caoil_

_Leis na daoine Di-màirt_

_‘S mise phàigh am faradh daor_

_Bha mo ghaol air a clàr..._

“What’s that mean?” I asked her, wondering why she chose to sing that particular song. I had no idea what it meant at all.

“I’ll tell you another day... but I had an urge to sing it. My mother used to sing it, when she would perform at the _cèilidhs_ ,” she replied quietly.

“What’s a kee-lee?” I asked, trying to pronounce the evidently non-English word.

“It’s like a party... kind of like the Harvest Fest or the Yule Fest, only it’s a party just because. We used to have them every Saturday night back home in Hebridia, and my mother would perform at them,” she whispered back to me. “Sometimes, they have them in the Hob... not very often, though, and I’ve never been. They’re all very hush-hush.”

“Your mother was a singer?”

“It was a Clan Èibhinndùn thing, singing. My Uncle Archie sang, too... Him, you’ll remember. He was supposed to be my father, but he was actually my uncle. My mother’s brother.” I gently pressed my lips to her hair and rubbed her upper back with the palm of my hand, sensing that this conversation was starting to make her sad. “We should go back downstairs, before we’re missed.”

“Yeah...”

“I don’t want to, though.”

“Me neither.” She pulled back from our embrace to look at me and I gave her a gentle smile. She stood up on her toes to press a kiss to my cheek, and then stood back on her feet and brought my hands to her lips.

“Let’s just get through this week... and then we’ll be left alone,” she said, and I agreed, and we went back downstairs to rejoin the party, our private moment invading my mind and helping to make our act that much more convincing. I think at one point, it almost stopped becoming one.

Eventually, the cameras did leave and things began to quiet down in Victors’ Village, and Katniss decided she wanted to go back to work as a midwife, which she had done before the Games. This was her ‘talent’, as it was the only legal thing that she was good at - mine was painting. For someone who considered herself squeamish, she really enjoyed serving as a district midwife and was definitely the best out of all of them. I want to say there were four in total - three from the Seam and one from town. The other three were older than Katniss and for a while, Katniss was just serving as an apprentice until it was proven that she really knew what she was doing. I had to make a point to ask her how she learned how to do all of that stuff so quickly.

The job required a lot of long nights, so there were days where I saw her cycle off on her bicycle - the standard form of transportation for all district midwives, Seam and town - and didn’t see her cycle back until the next day. On one particular day, I watched her preparing her bicycle to leave when I came out with a paper bag, crossing the courtyard to her. She was dressed in the District Twelve midwifery uniform - a standard mustard yellow cotton dress paired with a dark grey wool cape and cap fastened in her hair, which was up in a neat chignon style. When she saw me approach, she smiled at me. “What’s that?” she asked, seeing the paper bag in my hands.

“Just a treat in case you get hungry,” I told her, handing it to her. “I created them a couple of days ago and something told me you’d like them.” She opened the bag and peered inside, seeming to enjoy the aroma that emanated from it, and then took out a little bun and took a bite out of it.

“ _Ò dhìol_ , these are amazing! What are these?” she asked me, her eyes wide with surprise as she devoured the little bun.

“They’re cheese buns, don’t eat all of them or you’ll have nothing later!” I said, teasing her, and she blushed a little as she closed the paper bag and stuffed it into her medical bag.

“Thank you,” she told me.

“Do you think you’ll be home for dinner tonight?” I asked, and she shrugged.

“Hard to tell. I’m off to a new mother who’s having her first. It could be quick, it could be tomorrow. I won’t know for sure, everyone’s different,” she replied.

“Oh... Well... if you happen to be... Why don’t you, uh... Come over... for dinner?” I asked nervously, my hand on the back of my neck and my eyes averted. She gave me a smile that was tinted pink.

“I’d like that,” she said. “Anyway, best be off. Maybe I’ll, er... see you later, Peeta.”

“Yeah, I’ll see you. Good luck and tell the mother that, too!” I called after her as she hopped on her bicycle and cycled off. She did not come for dinner, and judging by the lack of her bicycle in the front of her home, I figured it was because she was still at the birth; I let out a sigh and simply went to bed. I woke up with the sun, as I always do, and went downstairs to start on some bread, which I would take to Haymitch, to Katniss’s family - her aunt and cousin, I guess - and to the families in the Seam. I never let them see me leave bread on their doorsteps, but I was sure they suspected. After the sun rose and it was light out, I began to pack my basket to deliver my bread and when I stepped outside, I saw a sight that almost made me laugh.

There, lying on the rather large and ornate fountain near the entrance to Victors’ Village, fast asleep and oblivious to the world, was my beautiful Katniss. She must have sat down on the fountain for a moment and dozed off. I approached the fountain trying to see if she was awake and simply lying down, but that was not the case - I heard her let out a quiet snore and I suppressed a chuckle, not wanting to wake her. I set down my basket of bread on a nearby bench and knelt down beside Katniss’s sleeping form, which was dangling precariously over the water of the fountain. “Katniss,” I whispered, trying not to startle her; she didn’t budge. I raised a hand to give her a gentle shake, but that still didn’t wake her up. “Katniss,” I said, this time a little louder, and she started to stir slightly.

“ _Faighinn a-mach às an sin...”_ she muttered in her sleep, but I couldn’t understand her.

“What? Katniss, wake up,” I said again, now a little concerned by the concerned expression that had developed on her sleeping face.

 _“Chan eil... chan eil, chan eil e sàbhailte_...”

“Katniss!” I shouted, and she opened her eyes and let out a cry, rolling into her back and right over the edge of the ledge of the fountain and into water, letting out let another squeal as she tried to fight some unseen force. “Katniss! Katniss, it’s okay! It’s just a dream!” I said to her as she slowly stopped thrashing around in the water, and she stopped and looked up at me, fear in her eyes. “It’s okay...”

“Where the hell...” she said in English, and she glanced around, as if to confirm her surroundings, before looking at me. “I’m in a fountain.”

“You are in a fountain,” I told her. “Are you okay?”

“A little wet, but I suppose I’ll live,” she said.

“Well, I guess I’m the one that woke you which means I’m responsible for making you wet,” I said. I didn’t realise what exactly I had said until it was too late and my eyes widened as she splashed me with the water from the fountain that she still sat in, but she was fighting a smile, so I laughed and played it off like a joke. “Hey!”

“Peeta Mellark, your sly tongue is going to get you in trouble someday,” she told me, and I couldn’t help but chuckle as she stood and took my offered hand to help her step out of the fountain.

“This tongue can just as easily get me out of trouble as it can get me into trouble. You’d know that, wouldn’t you,” I told her, and her cheeks flushed a furious shade of pink and she looked away from me. She was likely recalling the night before the Games, when we did just about everything we could possibly think of just for the sake of pleasuring the other. One of those things I had done was go down on her, sucking on that sensitive little nub between her legs that made her scream out my name and nearly rip my hair out.

“Peeta!” she hissed, playfully smacking me. In order to distract herself from her embarrassment, she pulled her soaking wet cap off of her head, which freed her hair and allowed it to fall down her shoulders, wringing out the cap.

“You know, even when you’re soaking wet from falling into a fountain, you’re still beautiful,” I told her, making her blush a different shade of pink. “How was the birth?”

“Long, but that was expected. It was a little girl,” Katniss replied.

“Good for the mother, little girls are brilliant,” I replied. “I’ve always wanted a little girl of my own to spoil, teach how to bake and have to scare the boys off when she’s older.” Katniss stilled, clearly somewhat distressed by what I’d said. “Is... is something wrong?”

“Peeta...” she sighed, and then she sat down on the fountain, gesturing for me to join her. She was silent for a moment while she contemplated what she wanted to say, and I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like it. “Peeta, I... I’m not going to have children... not ever... I don’t want to raise any children in this world, not so long as I can expect their names to be in those bowls. And with the both of us being victors... well, you know how the Capitol loves drama. Any child of ours is guaranteed to be reaped.”

“Then we’ll train them to survive. We both survived,” I replied, surprised that she could say such a thing. She was young, though - she could change her mind, couldn’t she?

“We’re not training anyone to survive because I’m not having children. I’m not going to change my mind and that’s the end of that discussion for me. I should have told you this earlier, I’m sorry... if I knew that children were going to be important for you, then I...”

“Don’t finish that thought,” I told her, cutting her off. “Katniss, I want children so much, but I don’t want them more than you. If you don’t want children, then I accept that and won’t push you.”

“Peeta...” I scooted closer to her and wrapped an arm around her still soaked shoulders.

“You can’t change my mind. When I fell for you, I fell for everything, and therefore agreed to love even the things I don’t exactly agree with. If you don’t want children... I’m perfectly content being a much beloved uncle.” She glanced up at me and I smiled at her, but she wasn’t smiling back this time.

“What if you change your mind?”

“What if you change yours?”

“I won’t, so long as the Games are happening.”

“What if there were no Games?”

“Peeta, shh! What if something hears you?” I let out a sigh.

“We’ll talk about it another time... I have to go and deliver this bread, but I’ll be back probably within an hour or two. Are you busy later? You still owe me that dinner.”

“I was actually thinking of going into the woods... but I think I would like that dinner.” This time, she smiled, and we both stood from the fountain and faced each other.

“All right, I’ll see you at dinner then,” I told her, and I leaned down to lightly kiss her cheek, which turned pink, and we went our separate ways.

* * *

**KATNISS POV**

* * *

He was everything, wasn’t he? Handsome, charming, funny, the sweetest, kindest boy - no, after what he’s been through, a man - I have ever had the pleasure to know and so, so much more. He was strong, firm, sturdy, the sunshine on a cloudy day. He was the exhilaration I felt in a hunt - or the exhilaration of steering a sailboat through the Paible Harbour, my home in Hebridia - and he was the joy of the first signs of spring after a long and cold winter. Peeta Mellark was everything I never thought I would want and yet, it was becoming harder and harder to resist his charm. He so badly wanted me to like him, and how could I not? There was nothing unlikable - not a single thing. Every kiss he gave my cheeks or my forehead or my hands made my core tingle with heat and I silently begged him to kiss my lips, but he was holding out for me. I don’t blame him for wanting me to make the first move, considering I was the one who was faking our relationship in the Games, but I couldn’t do that. He couldn’t possibly expect that from me! I’m not affectionate nor do I even really know how to kiss... at least, not romantically. Sure, I could kiss him to save his life and I kissed him the night before we went into the arena...

I couldn’t forget that night. That beautiful, wonderful night. I knew the second I kissed Peeta, I was equally a goner, same as him, and as much as I didn’t want to get attached, I was still convinced I was going to die and something inside me was desperate to know what it felt like to be loved. Well, he sure showed me how.

I couldn’t think of this anymore - I had to get into the woods. It was Sunday and Gale was likely waiting for me. I wasn’t supposed to doze off on the fountain, but I did anyway, waking up to a dreadful nightmare and falling into the fountain. I quickly changed out of my uniform and into my hunting clothes, braided my hair and rushed out to the woods. I was excited - I hadn’t really had a chance to speak to or even see Gale since before the Games. He went into the mines almost instantly and only had Sundays off, so today will be the first time in what feels like two months that I’ll actually be able to speak to him.

It had been that long, hadn’t it? The Reaping took place on the fourth of July, 2159, a Wednesday, and a week later, on the eleventh of July, the Games started (Peeta and I, evidently, had gone to bed together on the tenth of July). They took eighteen days for twenty-two tributes to die, which put us at the twenty-ninth of July, a Sunday, for the day Peeta and I both won. Four days after that, on the second of August, we were finally reunited onstage for our post-Games interview, and on Sunday, the fifth of August - now a full month after the Reaping - we were finally on the train home to District Twelve. We arrived in District Twelve on Tuesday, the seventh of August and had about thirteen days of interviews, moving into our new home, parties for Capitol officials at the mayor’s house and more. Once the last of the cameras finally left on Monday, the thirteenth of August, and on the fourteenth, I was back on my bicycle serving as a district midwife. I did that up until today, Sunday the nineteenth of August, now well over a month and a half since the Reaping, which means that yes, it had been nearly two months since I last really got the chance to speak to Gale.

I made my way through the fence, stopping first to make sure that it wasn’t electrified, before safely climbing through. I made my way to mine and Gale’s meeting spot, but he was nowhere to be found. I decided to hang around for just a moment, pausing to snack on the last of Peeta’s absolutely delicious cheese buns that he’d handed to me the day before, when I heard rustling behind me, and I turned to see Gale’s tall, dark - and relatively handsome - form emerge from the bushes. I gave him a smile, then moved to stand, only to be stopped by the words that came out of his mouth. “Well, if it isn’t baker boy’s girl. Finally made time in your busy schedule to see me, huh?”

I was stunned for just a moment, shocked to hear those words come out of his mouth. Baker boy’s girl? Busy schedule? Now that the interviewers were finally gone, my ‘busy schedule’ was the same it had always been, except I wasn’t in school anymore. “What's the matter? You’ve spent so much time in your new little world of luxury, you’ve forgotten who I am?” His venomous words dragged me out of my stunned state, and I glared at him with fury in my eyes.

“What the _fuck_ are you on about?” I spat at him, standing up to face him.

“You know what. New house - I hear it has five bedrooms. _Five._ Don’t have to go to school, endless riches sent directly from the Capitol. And not to mention your new tool,” Gale spat back.

“I didn’t ask for any of that. If you don’t remember, I didn’t have a choice in the house, it was given to me and I was forced to live there,” I told him. “And what the hell is my ‘new tool’? What the hell even _is_ a tool?”

“The baker’s kid,” replied Gale bitterly.

“Oh, blimey, what are you on about now?”

“‘I don’t want to fall in love or get married’, ‘I don’t want to have any relationships’, ‘I don’t want to rely on anyone’. _Four years_ , Katniss, I waited for you to change your mind about all of that and notice me and the way I looked at you, but apparently, all it took was four minutes for baker boy to ogle you in order for you to do that. It’s the blonde hair, isn’t it? Those damn merchant looks. You think you’ll get something being with him?”

“ _Peeta’s_ as much a victor as I am. We have the same riches that neither of us asked for and we quite literally have the same house on opposite sides of the street,” I said back as I tried to digest the rest of Gale’s spiteful words. I could at least respond to his jabs at Peeta and his status, but I couldn’t respond to the ones about his apparent feelings for me. I never once thought he felt that way about me - I certainly never felt that way about him! Gale reminded me so much of my twin brother, Dòmh, whom I lost on that fateful day when I first arrived in Panem. Had he had the chance to grow up, he might have looked just like Gale, except a little paler. I’d had so many brothers before that I was so close to, and to finally have that again was blissful for me. That was how I saw Gale - as a brother. But he didn’t see me as a sister, he saw me as a potential lover. I softened the venom in my voice, now speaking calmly, as I would to a labouring mother. “Have I ever given you the impression that I ever felt that way about you, Gale?”

“No, you didn’t, but I thought it was obvious. _Everyone_ thought it was obvious. That you and I would end up together. Why wouldn’t we? We’d work well together. But it’s because I’m not a merchant, isn’t it?”

“ _Air sgàth Dhè_ , drop the _fucking_ merchant line, Gale! That is completely irrelevant in this conversation!” I snapped at him. “If it was obvious to everyone, then it wasn’t obvious to me! I saw you as a brother and treated you as such. You have no idea what I went through before I came here to Panem. I had brothers, you know, and I lost _every single one_ of them. You reminded me of them and I clung to that.”

“Does he know that?”

“Know what? That I had brothers?” He nodded. “Yes.”

“Why the hell did he know that before I did?”

“Because he saved my life, so many times... and I trusted him. I do trust him.”

“But you don’t trust me?”

“I never said that. I had no reason to go into depth about my life before I came to Panem to you. It was completely irrelevant to what we did together.”

“So why does he know?”

“Because in the moment, I needed Peeta to trust me.”

“And why was that?”

“Gale, why are you asking me all of these questions?”

“Because you don’t say for _four fucking years_ that you don’t want to fall in love or be in a relationship and then turn around and start fucking someone you’ve known for weeks.”

“I’m not _fucking_ him, Gale, for God’s sake! We aren’t even together!”

“So all that during the Games... it was fake?” I let out a sigh. I didn’t think I’d be having this bloody conversation again.

“Not all of it. Some of it, yes, because it meant getting him food or medicine to survive, but a lot of it came from genuine feelings that I’ve only recently discovered I have for Peeta. Gale, you’ve no idea of our history. I’ve known him for years.” Gale was silent as he glared at me, waiting for me to continue. “When I first came to Panem, I didn’t speak any English. Not a word. I was teased and tormented senselessly and I had no idea what was even being said to me because I couldn’t understand them, and they knew that. Everyone was so cruel... but not him. Peeta was the only one who showed me any kindness. The first day I met him, I was sitting alone underneath a tree because I was ridiculed so much for trying to claim a table and he sat down beside me. I had no idea what he said to me, but I knew he was being kind, and he offered me a few slices of his orange. And there were other times where he proved his kindness, things that I won’t tell you simply because you don’t need to know, but I never thought I could fall for him.”

“So you love him.”

“I don’t know. I’m only just now discovering that I might have the ability to love someone other than Prim.”

“Is she even related to you? She was already here before you even got here.”

“She’s the daughter of my mother’s brother. My cousin. Agnessa is my aunt.” He was silent again, and he let out a sigh.

“I wish you’d have given us a chance before you decided I was nothing more to you than a replacement for your brothers.”

“You weren’t a replacement for my brothers.”

“But you still won’t give me a chance.”

“I don’t know what you want me to say, Gale... I don’t love you, not that way. I never have. I don’t want to hurt you, but it’s the truth. I can’t lie to you. I’ve never been able to lie to you.” He was silent in response, now refusing to meet my eyes. He took a few steps towards me and I didn’t move, which was why I didn’t expect him to grab me around my arms and force his lips on mine. Groaning and growling, I struggled to get out of his arms and when I finally freed my left arm, I pushed myself away from him and slapped him across the face. He staggered backwards, then looked back up at me with an incredulous look on his face, as if I had slapped him for no reason, and he narrowed his eyes at me.

“I had to do that at least once... Just think about me, Katniss,” he told me, and then he stalked off, rubbing his face where I’d slapped him. I was furious. How dare he assume these things of me? He didn’t know my feelings, and how the hell did he expect me to know his? Especially when I thought we were only friends? He never gave me the impression that he had feelings for me, not once! I can’t read minds! Oh, I was furious. On my hunt, I managed to catch seven squirrels and four rabbits through my anger and stalked off towards Victors’ Village with my ull game bag in hand.

“Katniss!” I heard my name being called, and at first, I recognised it as a male voice and thought it belonged to Gale, so I stalked on, but then I heard the familiar loud and uneven steps approaching me and I felt his hand on my shoulder. “Katniss, hey!” I stopped and looked at him, and the moment I met those perfect sky blue eyes, all of the anger in me immediately dissolved and I felt my scowl form into a smile.

“Hey,” I said back to Peeta, trying hard not to lose myself at the sight of his mussed honey golden blonde curls. “Finished delivering your bread?”

“I got a little caught up talking to people, but yeah,” he told me. “Are you okay? You looked upset.”

“Tell you later, I’ve only just stopped being angry and I’d like to at least calm down a little before I’m angry again,” I replied.

“Is this a conversation we can have over dinner?”

“Not unless you want dinner on your walls.” He chuckled as we continued walking towards the Village together, my hand unconsciously slipping into his. I didn’t even notice it until we stopped in front of his house and he gave my hand a squeeze.

“Why don’t you come inside for a bit?”

“I need to gut and skin my kills for today,” I told him.

“Can’t you do that here?” he asked me, the desire to spend time with me swimming in his eyes. It was a gaze I couldn’t resist, and I let out a sigh.

“Very well, if you don’t mind the blood,” I said, and he smiled.

“It means you’re in my house so I won’t mind,” he replied. God, he could be so cute... Wait, what on Earth was I thinking? I wasn’t some swooning schoolgirl who falls head over heels in love with ‘cute boys’, but something about Peeta made my frozen heart melt into a puddle. He must have seen the blood rushing to my cheeks because he bent down to kiss one of them, then squeezed my hand again and led me into the house. He assigned me a counter to work from and I started skinning the squirrels while Peeta baked at another counter. “So... about earlier...”

“You’re not going to want to hear about that,” I told him.

“If it bothers you, I want to hear about it. I care about any problems you have, Katniss,” he told me. He was cute and he wanted to listen to my problems, too? This boy was quickly becoming my biggest weakness. I let out a sigh.

“Someone isn’t very happy about us,” I said after a moment.

“Gale?”

“Who else?”

“Well, what’d he say?”

“Apparently, and I had no idea about this... but he has feelings for me.” Peeta snorted and I sent an angry glare his way, which only made him laugh harder.

“Katniss, you didn’t know that? Everyone knew about his feelings for you! He was so obvious! I actually thought... well, I thought you guys were together, since you were always with him.”

“Why does everyone always think they know me? No! I _never_ had feelings for him that way! I saw him as a brother and nothing more. I was pretty sure I made that very clear to him that I was not interested in anything romantic with him.”

“Never? Not once?”

“No.” I quickly skinned the third squirrel and tossed the cuts into the trash at my feet.

“...well... What about me? Just... just out of curiosity... If you knew him for years and you never gave him any indication that you had feelings for him... am I, uh... different?” I glanced up at him, the boyish look on his face instantly softening me. I gave him a gentle smile.

“Yes, you’re different... I’ve always known that we’ve got a different kind of connection than I had with Gale,” I told him, and then I couldn’t meet his eyes any longer, so I looked down at the game in front of me. I heard his footsteps approach me and I suddenly felt his arms wrap around me, and I lifted my head as he held me from the side and pressed his lips to my temple. I couldn’t stop myself from relaxing into his arms, but I didn’t wrap my blood-covered hands around him, not wanting to mess up his shirt.

“Katniss,” he whispered, his voice practically begging me to look at him, but I just couldn’t. I had a strong feeling that he wanted to kiss me, and I wasn’t sure I was ready for the feeling of kissing him when it isn’t for food or medicine to save his life.

“Smells like something’s burning,” I said suddenly, even though I didn’t smell anything. _Yeah, it’s my face_ , I responded in my head.

“Really? I don’t think I turned the oven on yet,” said Peeta, now distracted. He went over to the oven to check it, but the oven was, of course, off. “Nope, I don’t know what you’re smelling but it’s not the oven.” _Maybe it’s that feeling I’ve got between my legs..._

“Maybe it’s Haymitch, he is right next to you,” I told him, and Peeta glanced out the window, shrugging.

“Maybe...” He resumed baking, abandoning his attempt to kiss me, and seemed just a little bit bothered after that. He was quiet for a bit after that, until he got the bread in the oven. “So... Squirrel stew for dinner?” I looked up at him to see him smiling at me, and I couldn’t help the smile that formed on my face.

“Yeah, that sounds nice,” I replied to him. I was glad he didn’t press me further about Gale - I certainly didn’t want to tell him that Gale had kissed me. Perhaps all he needed was reassurance that I didn’t have any feelings for Gale. Well, he could certainly trust me there. Wait, he could trust me? As if we were in an established relationship already? At the time, I didn’t know why I was still fighting the relationship with Peeta. He was so kind to me, he took care of me and he wanted me so badly, and yet, I was still reluctant. I didn’t know that, subconsciously, I had decided to stop resisting the relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will Peeta be successful in getting Katniss to fall in love with him, or do you think he already is?
> 
> Please review!


	3. The Hebridean and the Baker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katniss and Peeta grow closer. Agnessa Everdeen suspects something is up and tries to exercise control over Katniss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ‘Mo Ghruagach Dhonn’ — Julie Fowlis

* * *

**KATNISS POV**

* * *

It had been a few days since my talk with Gale and I was at home chopping up herbs with Agnessa to prepare concoctions for her balms and such. Prim was finishing up some summer homework at the table nearby, having wanted to help with the herbs but when Agnessa and I learned that she had yet to even start it, we insisted that she needed to work on it. That particular morning, I was feeling a bit nauseous, and the smells of all the herbs certainly weren’t helping. “Are you all right, dear?” Agnessa asked me in English, and I nodded. Like me, Agnessa had a Hebridean accent, but it wasn’t nearly as prominent as mine. She had been born in Hebridia - the island of Leòdhas, I believe, which wasn’t too far from where I was born, which was Uibhist - and came to Panem when she was only three years old. Her parents had the accent, but hers meshed with the accent of Panem as she grew up.

“Just a little nauseous,” I replied, and in Gàidhlig - the language that both Agnessa and I spoke, being Hebridean refugees, “I usually get nauseous around my periods anyway. Perhaps it’s coming on.”

“Has it not yet?” Agnessa asked me, still in Gàidhlig. The reason we held this conversation in Gàidhlig was because Prim wasn’t fluent in the language, so we could have more mature conversations around her without disturbing her.

“I haven’t had it since before the Games,” I confessed. I hadn’t had it for very long before the Games, having only gotten it shortly before my sixteenth birthday, but since the Games, I hadn’t had it. “Probably stress. The Games were incredibly stressful, and everything afterwards.”

“Yes, stress can disrupt a period,” said Agnessa. “Although, you should be starting to regulate again. You haven’t been with a boy, have you?”

“Agnessa!” I hissed at my aunt, who I called by her name in the privacy of our home. My face turned beet red - I couldn’t tell her about Peeta! God, I’d never hear the end of it!

“Well, have you? You know you’re too young for a boyfriend,” Agnessa said back to me.

“You’re not my mother. You don’t get to decide that for me.”

“But I am your guardian.”

“Since when? You certainly weren’t before, when I needed a guardian.”

“I think you should be tested.”

“You’re not making that decision for me.”

“You’re being incredibly evasive. Have you or have you not been with a boy?”

“What boy would I even have had time to be with, Agnessa?”

“You know which boy.” So she knew about the connection between Peeta and me. She didn’t want to say any names in case Prim was listening, which she likely was. I let out a huff.

“I’m not with anyone right now, Agnessa. You’ve nothing to worry about. I’m likely still just stressed. You’ve no idea about the nightmares I have that keep me awake at night.” There. I managed to avoid telling her the truth and also not make it sound like I was lying. She eyed me suspiciously, then let out a sigh.

“If you insist, but a test wouldn’t hurt.”

“I don’t need it, I’m fine. I’m just stressed.”

“There’s herbs I can give you for that.”

“You’ve given them to me before and they really didn’t help me. I’ll be fine, I... I’ll find a way to cope with it.” I paused, trying to think of the best way to reassure her to get her off of my back. “I’ll let you know when my cycle becomes regular again.” We were all silent for a moment when we heard a knock at the door and Agnessa was the one to answer it.

“Oh, hello, Peeta! It’s so good to see you!” I heard her say in English.

“Good morning, Mrs. Everdeen. I’ve brought some bread for breakfast,” I heard Peeta say. I glanced towards the door, a hopeful look in my eye, and heard Prim snickering behind me, and I turned around and sent her a teasing glare.

“Your _boyfriend_ is here,” she said to me in a sing-songy voice.

“Hush, little duck,” I told her as Peeta and Agnessa entered the kitchen, and Peeta sent a smile my way when he saw me. I couldn’t help the smile that grew on my face when we locked eyes, nor could I hide the gentle blush that formed on my cheeks.

“Good morning, Katniss,” he said to me cheerfully.

“Morning,” I said, turning my face down. My hair was down, so I had a curtain of hair hiding the redness in my cheeks.

“Peeta, dear, you asked for some burn ointment?” Agnessa asked him as he set down the basket of bread on the counter behind me, and I raised my eyes to meet his.

“Burn ointment? What happened?” I asked, looking up fully and grasping one of his hands, finding an angry looking burn on his knuckles.

“Just bumped my hand on the side of the oven this morning. Nothing too bad, and nothing I haven’t had before,” he told me, placing his unburned hand over mine and giving me a reassuring smile. He then turned to Agnessa and started to follow her out of the kitchen and up the stairs. “Thank you again, Mrs. Everdeen...” he said as his voice and their footsteps faded upstairs.

“So you’re having a girl problem, huh?” I heard Prim say behind me, and my eyes widened as I turned to look at her.

“You don’t even speak Gàidhlig, how did you know what we were even saying?” I asked my little sister - technically, cousin, but I came to see Prim as my own little sister, whom I lost on our journey to Panem. 

“I’ve picked up some words from when I’ve helped Mom, especially with the Hebridean patients. I know that ‘ _sileadh-mìos_ ’ is the Gàidhlig word for ‘period’ and I heard Mom say that word a lot,” Prim replied.

“You’re too clever for your own good, _tunnag beagan_ ,” I told her, calling her Gàidhlig phrase for ‘little duck’. “I’ve been very stressed out since the Games and my body has not been responding very kindly, but I’ll be all right. I’m sure I will return to normal soon, so there’s nothing to worry about.” She nodded silently, a knowing look in her eye telling me that she didn’t fully believe me.

“Peeta’s handsome, isn’t he?” she said, resuming her teasing tone.

“Get back to your homework, Prim,” I said with a chuckle, and after a moment, “...yes, he is very handsome.”

“I knew it! I knew you liked him!”

“Shh! Prim!”

“You always stared at him whenever we walked by the bakery and you saw him lifting those bags of flour, _especially_ if he wasn’t wearing a shirt!”

“ _Prim!_ ”

“And you _loved_ to watch him at the wrestling matches!”

“He’ll hear you!”

“Remember that match we went to? When Peeta wrestled his brother? What was his name again?”

“...Donnel, but they call him Rye.”

“You locked eyes with Peeta’s right before the big match - I saw it happen. And you watched him the whole match!”

“Oh she did, did she?” came Peeta’s voice from the entryway, and I buried my face in my palms to hide my embarrassment as Prim laughed.

“Yes!” she exclaimed.

“And she used to watch me lifting bags of flour too, huh?” he asked, coming into the kitchen and placing his hands on my shoulders from behind.

“You know that! I told Haymitch you could throw a hundred pound sack of flour before the Games!” I hissed at him, refusing to remove my face from my hands.

“Why’d you tell him that, Katniss?” Prim asked me.

“Because he was undermining himself and wasn’t telling the truth about how strong he was,” I said, shaking off Peeta’s hands so I could at least try to resume chopping herbs, but it was so hard with Peeta standing so close to me - close enough to make my core burn.

“And I told her that I wouldn’t be killing anyone with a sack of flour,” Peeta replied in a teasing tone.

“Not with that attitude, you won’t,” I replied, joining in on the fun just a little as Agnessa came back into the room.

“Right, shall we get started on breakfast?” she said as she came into the room. She glanced at me, then at Peeta, taking note of how close he was to me, and then spoke to me in Gàidhlig. “Remember what I said, Katniss. You’re too young for boyfriends.”

“Remember what I said,” I said back in Gàidhlig, meeting her eyes. “You’re not my mother.”

* * *

**PEETA POV**

* * *

There was some kind of hostility between Katniss and her mother - aunt, I guess - but I couldn’t tell exactly what it was since they were speaking in their Hebridean language. They made breakfast together silently while I cut the bread and when we ate at the table, it was mostly Prim talking about her homework and such. “Why don’t we go on a walk together after breakfast?” Katniss asked me, and I swear my heart skipped a beat.

“Uh... yeah! Sure!” I said, probably a little too enthusiastically. I could see the firm look that Mrs. Everdeen was sending Katniss’s way, but she simply ignored it. After breakfast was over, Katniss took me by the wrist and started dragging me to the door, but her mother called after her.

 _“Chan urrainn dhut carrabhaidh, Katniss!_ ” she said to her daughter - niece - in Gàidhlig.

“ _Chan eil thu mo mhàthair, Agnessa. Fàg mi leam fhìn,_ ” Katniss replied back, clearly irritably as we left the kitchen and headed towards the front door.

“ _Ach is mise do choimheadair agus nì thu na tha mi ag ràdh_ ,” Agnessa replied back.

“Go ahead and stop me,” Katniss muttered under her breath as we went outside, and she slammed the door behind her.

“What was that all about?” I asked her, confused as hell since I couldn’t understand their language.

“Nothing to worry about, it’s not like I’d listen anyway,” she told me as we stormed off down towards the gate of the Village - or rather, _she_ stormed off and dragged me along behind her.

“Is she mad about us being together?” I asked her, and she stopped and sighed.

“Remember during the interviews, she said I was ‘too young to have a boyfriend’? Well, I’m pissed she even dared to say that because she doesn’t have the right to make that kind of decision for me. She gave up that right a long time ago.” She let go of my wrist and walked off, I following behind her.

“Oh... Wait... Does that mean... Am I...” I struggled to spit out the question as I followed behind her, but she was difficult to keep up with. “Katniss!” She stopped and turned to face me as I stopped in front of her. “Are you saying that... that I’m your boyfriend?”

“I think that’s something we have to sort out first,” she replied, and we continued walking. I was silent at first, simply because I didn’t know how to respond. Did she want me to be her boyfriend? What did she mean by ‘sort out’?

“Do you _want_ me to be your boyfriend?”

“Do you? Want to be?”

“I mean... I kind of have to be, don’t I? With the whole ‘star-crossed lovers’ and all...”

“But that’s not real, is it?”

“No...” She led me to the meadow and I thought we were going to stop there, but she continued to the fence, pausing for just a moment, before she lifted a part of the fence high enough for me to pass through. “You’re taking me to the woods?”

“Yes,” she told me. “Do you not want to come?”

“Of course I want to come! I just didn’t think... oh, nevermind!” I said, shutting up as I crawled under the fence, and she followed behind me. We walked for quite a distance before eventually coming to a very tall tree topped with thick leaves, and she started to climb the trunk. “Katniss, wait! I can’t climb trees!” I said to her from the ground as she disappeared into the leaves.

“Don’t worry about that,” she told me, and a moment later, a rope ladder rolled down and stopped right in front of me. “What are you waiting for? Come on up.” I did as I was told, grasping the ladder and climbing up and into the leaves, finding that what I had thought were thick branches and leaves was actually concealing a hidden treehouse of sorts. It was a small room with a single window and a tarp pinned to the ceiling - likely to keep the rain out. Inside of it was a chest in the corner, and I happened to notice it as Katniss pulled the ladder back up and stowed it away.

“What is this place?” I asked her.

“Just a treehouse. My uncle built it for me, when I wanted a place to hide. You see... I wasn’t supposed to have any evidence that I had ever had a life before I came to Panem. No photographs of my family, no Fòlais family tartan... nothing. They wanted me to pretend that I was Archie and Agnessa Everdeen’s eldest daughter and that I was never any other way. They tried to get rid of my accent, too, but I was already too old... They instead focused on teaching me English,” she replied.

“Is that what’s in that trunk?” She nodded, then she crawled over to it and opened it. She pulled out a green, maroon and beige plaid blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders, then she pulled out an old-looking envelope.

“This blanket is my family’s tartan, Clan Fòlais. My mother wrapped me in it when our ship was attacked... it’s the last thing I own of her, except for these.” She handed me the envelope, gesturing for me to open it. Inside was a letter written in a language that I couldn’t understand addressed to ‘Eairdsaidh Èibhinndùn’ and a few photographs. One of them was of a family - five young children, a man and a beautiful redheaded woman with strong curls. She was holding the youngest, a little girl who also had striking red hair. “That’s my family, when I was about six years old. The next year, my mother had two more babies, Alasdair and Anndra, but I’ve got no photos of them.” Katniss scooted closer to me so she could point to each member of her family. “That’s me right there, the wee brown-haired lass holding the _giomach_ that I had banded the claws of by myself.”

“The what? The lobster?” I said, noticing that the little girl she’d pointed to was holding a lobster.

“Yes, if that’s what it’s called in English. We just called it a _giomach_.”

“You were so adorable when you were little! I mean, I met you two years later, but you already seemed so grown up then,” I told her, and then I pointed to the two little boys on either side of her waving crabs in the air. “Who are they?”

“Cailean,” she said, pointing to the one on her left, “and Calum,” she said, pointing to the one on her right. “They were twins, a year younger than me. They loved to laugh and mess around and get into trouble, and they were very mischievous. They were identical in every aspect physically except that they were a mirror image of each other. We could always tell which was which, though, if you remembered which of their eyes was the blue one.”

“Sorry, _which_ of their eyes?” Katniss chuckled a little bit.

“Yes, Cailean’s left eye was blue and he was left-handed, while Calum’s right eye was blue and he was right-handed. Their remaining eye was brown, so they had two differently coloured eyes.”

“That’s really cool...” She then pointed to a taller boy standing by the woman.

“This was my twin brother, Dòmh. He was a lot calmer than Cailean and Calum, and was younger than me by ten minutes. I watched him get murdered by pirates... I still see his murder in my nightmares sometimes. He was stabbed through the abdomen... I still have the dress I wore that day, and his blood still stains it, but I won’t pull that out.”

“Katniss, I’m so sorry,” I told her, shifting my arm to wrap it around her shoulders and pressing a kiss to her temple. “I can’t imagine going through that...”

“You practically did, in the Games. So I suppose I was prepared after all,” she said numbly, and with a sigh, she moved onto the little girl. “This was Ashilda. She was two years old when this photograph was taken. She didn’t live past four. She barely had a chance to grow into her own individual person...” She then pointed to the two adults. “This here is my father, Dòmhnall, and my mother, Eilidh. My father was a scientist who worked with developing vaccines for various illnesses, and my mother was a midwife. I had started apprenticing with her the year before we left Hebridia. She’s the reason I’m a midwife today. It’s one more part of her I can hold onto.”

“She was so beautiful, Katniss. You look so much like her.”

“Ashilda looked like her. I looked like my father.” She took the photos from my hand and shifted them, now showing me a photograph of Katniss and her three brothers, along with another little girl and boy, holding up some crabs. I couldn’t help but smile at the image, as it was quite adorable. “Cailean, Calum, Dòmh and myself with my childhood friend, Ribinnean Muirreach and her little brother. We used to catch _crùbagan_ , put them to sleep by rubbing their bellies and put on puppet shows with them.”

“Are kroo-bakan ‘crabs’?” I asked her, and she nodded.

“Yes, I suppose so. Dòmh never really liked having the big parts, and Calum was always the best storyteller. He reminds me a lot of you. You’re so great with words, Peeta... just like him.”

“Oh,” I said, unsure of how I felt being compared to her brother. I felt her hand slip into mine as she swapped the photos again, this time to a picture of a little brunette girl sitting on the lap of a redheaded woman, laughing and smiling and both of their wild curls blowing in the wind. They were standing on some kind of cliff, maybe, and the ocean was in the background. There wasn’t an ocean anywhere near District Twelve - at least, we were told there wasn’t. We weren’t allowed to even leave the District, and Katniss claims that most hunters don’t travel far enough to find out.

“My mother,” she said, “and me... She used to call me her _‘eun beagan_ ’, or her ‘little bird’. She’d sing a song to me called ‘ _Mo Ghruagach Dhonn’_ which meant ‘My Brown-Haired Lass’. She loved to laugh and she could always find some reason to be positive no matter how terrible the situation.” She looked up at me, just for a moment, her fingers running over the photograph as if to feel the moment. “She would have loved you, so much...”

“How does the song go?” I asked her quietly, and her cheeks flushed just a little as she looked back at the photograph.

“It’s been years... but I’ll never forget the words.” She cleared her throat, and then she started to sing.

_Hi ro ho, mo ghruagach dhonn,_

_‘S ann ort fhèin a dh’fhàs an loinn:_

_Dh’fhàg siud acaid na mo chom,_

_An gaol cho trom ‘s a gabh mi ort..._

_Fuair mi do litir DiMàirt,_

_Dh’innseadh dhòmhsa mar a bha;_

_Gu robh thu a’ tighinn gun dàil,_

_A-mach air bàta Ghlaschu..._

She trailed off, seemingly trying so hard to fight off the tears, but failing, and she turned to me and began to sob into my shoulder. I held her tightly, pulling her into my lap and cradling her against my chest.

“Shh, honey, it’s okay,” I whispered into her hair, gently rubbing her back with my palm. I didn’t say another word as she sobbed into my shoulder and held her until her shaking turned into the occasional hiccup. When she finally pulled away to look at me, her eyes were red and puffy and her cheeks were stained with tears. “You are your mother’s daughter... She was beautiful, and so are you, and I’ll bet she could sing so beautifully that the birds would stop to listen to her... just as they have now.” She picked up her head and looked out the window, listening to the mockingjays whistling her beautiful little Hebridean tune. She smiled, then whispered something quietly to herself in Gàidhlig.

“ _Tha mi gaol ort, Màthair,”_ she said quietly, looking out the window, and then she laid her head on my shoulder. “I wish you could have met her, Peeta... She would have adored you so much. She would have approved of my choice.”

“Your choice?”

“Of a boyfriend.” I smiled down at her, then pressed a kiss to her forehead. Katniss Everdeen - no, Fòlais - had just called me her boyfriend, and I couldn’t be more happy than I was in that exact moment.

* * *

**KATNISS POV**

* * *

That day was a Thursday, and the next night, we had been invited to yet another dinner at the mayor’s, but it wasn’t nearly as fancy as the ball we’d gone to after we came home from the Games. This was a lot more casual - a monthly dinner invitation that the mayor extended to the victors of District Twelve. For years, it had just been Haymitch, who turned it down every single time, but Peeta and I didn’t want to seem rude and therefore accepted the invitation without question. I dressed myself in a knee-length sapphire blue dress - one that I knew would go very well with Peeta’s gorgeous blue eyes, and let my hair flow down my back in loose curls. When Peeta came to pick me up to walk over to the mayor’s house, I found myself entranced by how handsome he looked in a grey suit with a sapphire blue tie to match mine - we hadn’t even discussed what we were wearing and just so happened to match.

“Wow, look at you,” I said aloud, blushing somewhat considering I hadn’t realised I spoke my thoughts out loud. He smiled warmly, and I could have sworn I felt myself get drunk off of that gorgeous smile of his, so I continued. “You look very handsome, Peeta... but you always do.”

“And you look so beautiful. You’re always beautiful, but you take my breath away when you wear your hair down like that,” he replied as I descended the stairs to my house and stepped into his arms for an embrace.

“The dress does nothing for you?” I asked, teasing him, and he chuckled.

“You make everything look beautiful,” he replied, pressing his lips to my forehead. Suddenly, we were disrupted by the sound of a door being kicked open and Haymitch came sauntering out of his house, already drunk, and made his way over to the two of us.

“Well, don’t you clean up nicely,” I said, commenting on his somewhat cleaner attire. “What are you doing? I thought you never accepted the mayor’s monthly dinner invitation.”

“Can it, sweetheart. The boy talked me into this,” he told me. “Hope you don’t mind me intrudin’ on your little date.” I rolled my eyes, and the three of us started making our way to the mayor’s home. “So,” said Haymitch, breaking the awkward silence. He was walking behind us and Peeta and I were easily three feet apart. “Judgin’ by the way y’all were before I came outside, is this romance a real thing now?”

“That’s for us to know and you not to butt in about, Haymitch,” I told him.

“If it’s real, sweetheart, it’ll make things a hell of a lot easier goin’ forward. You two are together for the rest of your lives now,” Haymitch told me. For some reason, that startled me, and I stopped and quickly turned to look at him with widened eyes. I stole a quick glance of Peeta, too, and he seemed mildly hurt by this reaction. “Relax, sweetheart. If it’s real, it ain’t a problem.”

“Having my freedom of choice ripped away from me is a problem,” I told him.

“I thought you said you chose me?” Peeta asked me, the hurt in his eyes now showing in his voice.

“I did! Peeta, I did!” I exclaimed, and then I lowered my voice. “But does it not bother you that you’re practically being forced to stay with me? That even if we had an argument or we find later on that we just can’t get along, that you couldn’t leave and find someone else?”

“I don’t _want_ someone else, Katniss, I want _you_.”

“But what if you did? Forget the fact that you are totally in love with me - I know that, Peeta, and I’m glad, I really am! But what if - and I’m not saying this will happen - one day, you decide that you don’t want to be with me? You don’t get to make that choice, Peeta. We’re stuck now.” He was silent for a moment, and then he let out a sigh.

“I guess I can see how that would be a problem,” he said. “After all, divorce is illegal in the districts. I see that exact situation in my parents every day. But Katniss, that won’t be us. I will _never_ give up on you. I just hope you don’t give up on me.”

“I didn’t say I would,” I told him, and I let out a sigh and looked at Haymitch. “What would happen if, god forbid, we do decide we don’t want to be together anymore?”

“Snow might see that as defying him and the Capitol and y’all might lose your families,” Haymitch replied.

“See, Peeta? That’s the problem I have with this. We can’t have the freedom to choose without our families being threatened,” I told Peeta. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t choose you. Not that you even have any competition anyway.” I could see him trying to fight a smile and I took a step towards him to take his hand in mine, and Haymitch let out a grunt.

“Keep that behind closed doors,” he said, and he started walking again, breaking our hands and walking in front of us. Peeta and I glanced at each other and shared a small smile and I slipped my hand into his again and we followed behind Haymitch.

The dinner itself was relatively unmemorable. Haymitch was trying his best to appear as sober as he possibly could, but everyone knew he was drunk anyway. Madge was telling me about how she’d met one of the sons of the mayor of District Five and that she would most likely be betrothed to him. It wasn’t unheard of for the children of mayors to marry among other mayors and the mayors were often selected by the president, however, Snow cared less about what happened in the higher numbered districts and generally, the mayor’s oldest child, regardless of gender, would inherit the title. Madge, being the mayor’s only child, would likely inherit the title, but would probably have to marry one of the sons of the District Five mayor.

Suddenly, I started feeling a little nauseous, and when we moved to the parlour to chat after dinner, I excused myself to find the toilet in fear that I would start throwing up. I heard a knock at the door as I was seated on the floor draped over the toilet. “Katniss?” I heard a male voice - Peeta’s - at the door following the knock. “Hey, are you okay? You’ve been in here for a while.”

“Just a minute,” I said, pulling myself to stand up. My stomach lurched, and I hovered over the toilet in case I had to throw up, and waited for the wave of nausea to pass. I flushed the toilet so it sounded like I had actually been in there for a reason and washed my hands, then wet my face a bit and dried it off on a towel. After a moment more, I opened the door and was met by Peeta’s concerned expression as he stood outside of the door.

“You don’t look so good, Katniss. Are you feeling okay? Do you want me to take you back home?” he asked me, pressing the back of his hand to my forehead, which felt fine.

“I’m fine,” I said. “Maybe something I ate that didn’t really agree with me.”

“You should let me take you back home. I’ll talk to the mayor and let him know you aren’t feeling well,” Peeta replied, placing a hand on my lower back and leading me back to the parlour. “You stay here, I’ll go and talk to him.” He bent down to give me a kiss on the cheek and I waited for him to come back out, and when he did, he had with him some plain crackers. “Mrs. Undersee says these always make her feel better when she’s feeling unwell. Both she and the mayor said they hope you feel better, and Haymitch is passed out asleep.” I couldn’t help but snort just a little as I took the crackers from him, biting into one of them.

“Thank you, Peeta,” I said as we started to head towards the door. When we stepped outside, we could see that it was cloudy and over the mountains, we could see the occasional flash of lightning. “Looks like it’s going to storm.”

“We’d better get you home quickly then,” said Peeta as we walked down the steps and out the front gate of the property. I finished the crackers quickly as we walked, and a gentle rumble of thunder caused me to stop and look up at the sky. “Katniss?”

“Just a moment, Peeta... I’ve always loved the rain,” I told him.

“If you’re not feeling well, you really shouldn’t get caught in it.”

“Back home, we used the rain for healing. Of course, the air was a bit saltier and saltwater does wonders for healing... Every time I had a cold or another illness, my mother and I would sit in the rocking chair in our barn with the doors open and just watch the rain, breathing in the damp air. The next morning, my illness was always gone.”

“I was always told that if I got caught in the rain, I’d get pneumonia.”

“That’s most certainly not true. There’s nothing wrong with getting a little wet from the rain.” I smiled at him and took his hand in mine, and we started walking back to the Village a little slower this time. We felt the first couple of raindrops when we were maybe a mile or so away from the gate, and those little drops quickly turned into buckets and buckets of rain. Peeta and I both let out a squeal as we locked hands and ran towards the gate, Peeta slipping in a puddle and taking me down with him. We were laughing as we sat in that muddy puddle, rain pouring down all around us and soaking our clothes through, and I climbed on top of him and took his face in my hands. “You see? The rain is healing. You’ve been smiling ever since it started.”

“I don’t think that’s the rain, Katniss. I think it’s you. If the rain heals me, then you must be my rainstorm,” he told me, raising a hand to brush a bit of wet hair off of my face. He looked so handsome there, drenched in rain with specks of mud on his face and hands, with his beautiful blonde hair stuck against his forehead. His blue eyes were shining, catching the light from a nearby street lamp - it was amazing that the electricity was still even on - and his smile was wide and brilliant. This boy, my sweet boy with the bread, was the kindest, most loving, amazing boy I had ever had the privilege to meet, and I was lucky enough to call him my boyfriend. He felt like so much more to me than just a boyfriend, though. He was my best friend, the one person in the world who understood me, who was quickly learning all of my secrets, who knew me better than I even knew myself. And what was I doing? Stringing him along, slowly letting him do little things like hold my hand or kiss my cheek. Why have I yet to give this sweet, wonderful boy my whole heart like he deserved? I know I didn’t want to fall in love. I didn’t want to turn into Agnessa, but Agnessa wasn’t me, and I certainly wasn’t her. Agnessa had never gone through the things that I had. She might have been born in Hebridia, but she spent her formative years in Panem. She wanted for nothing her whole childhood and her parents only cut her off because she chose to marry a miner from the Seam. I had lost my entire family when I was eight years old and I had to learn to navigate an entirely new world on my own not even speaking the language. I was stronger than Agnessa, and I knew that I would never shut down and lose myself the way that she did.

So with Peeta’s face between my hands, I looked down into his beautiful sky blue eyes, eyes the same colour as the skies of Hebridia, and stroked his cheeks with my thumbs. I smiled gently, the rain pattering the ground around us, as his sky blue eyes met my stormy grey ones, and his lips, too, were pulled into a gentle smile. The words I wanted to speak were caught in my throat and I didn’t know if I could force them out, but after taking a deep breath, they were finally dislodged, and they flowed out of me as easily as the rain fell from the clouds. “I love you, Peeta Mellark.” His face fell from a gentle smile of a boy in love to an expression of shock at my admission of love for him, and before he could say another word, I lowered my face to his, closing my eyes and meeting his lips with mine. The kiss was gentle, at first, and sweet, before I began to hunger for more, and I moved my hands from his face and wrapped my arms around his neck to deepen that sweet and gentle kiss into something more passionate.

When we broke the kiss, it was because a rather large bolt of lightning struck a tree in the woods and we both startled, my arms tightening around Peeta’s neck as I looked in the direction of the tree, and once I realised it was safe, I looked back down at Peeta again, who was watching my facial expressions. “Did you mean it?” he asked me. “Do you really love me?”

“Yes, Peeta, I do,” I told him, running a hand through his wet hair and pressing my lips to his forehead. “Perhaps I love you too much for my own good, but that’s okay. If I’ve learned anything from my sixteen years, it’s that life’s too short to hold out on a good thing. I want to be with you, Peeta, and I want to love you, if you’ll let me.”

“Of course I will... Katniss, you have no idea how long I’ve dreamt of hearing you say those words to me,” he said, his hand finding its way into my own wet hair. And then, as if realising that he had yet to return my sentiment, he whispered, “I love you, too, Katniss Fòlais.” He used my real name - my birth name, the name that tied me to my homeland of Hebridia. He drew me in for another kiss and broke it quickly, holding me tightly in his arms and refusing to let me go. “Let’s get you home, Katniss. We’re both soaking wet.” I couldn’t stop the girlish giggle that came from my throat as he stood and pulled me to stand with him, throwing his arms around me again and kissing my lips again.

“We’ll never get back if you keep that up,” I teased, and he chuckled.

“I’m sorry, I can’t help myself,” he told me. “The girl I’ve loved since I was eight years old just told me she loves me.”

“And she’ll gladly tell you again once we’re somewhere warm and dry.” He chastely kissed my lips one more time before he broke our embrace and we started running again towards the Village hand in hand. When we got there, I dug around in the little bag that was paired with my dress for my key, but I couldn’t find it, and looking up at the windows, I could see that every light was off, which meant that Prim and Agnessa were either out or had gone to bed.

“Everything okay?” Peeta asked me as I frustratingly searched my bag.

“I can’t seem to find my key,” I told him, and he pulled my hand from my bag and took my hand.

“Then I guess you’re coming to my house tonight.” There was a mischievous glint in his eye as he led me to the stoop of his house, then he fished for his key in his pocket and unlocked the front door. When he led me inside, he went straight for the living room, starting a fire and then meeting me again in the foyer. “I’ll get you some dry clothes to change into and then we can dry your wet clothes in front of the fire. How’s that sound?”

“Sounds perfect,” I told him, giving his hand a squeeze as he gave me another chaste kiss and went upstairs to his room. He came back with a pair of sweatpants with a drawstring and one of his t-shirts, handing them both to me, and I went into the bathroom to change. I took a look at my reflection after I had changed out of my clothes. I wasn’t as skinny as I once had been, but I still didn’t have all that impressive of a figure. I didn’t have many curves, and my breasts were the same size as they were when I was twelve. Agnessa told me once that they may get bigger when I got my period, but when that happened and they remained the same size, I dismissed that as not happening to me. I didn’t know what Peeta saw in me. I wouldn’t call myself the ideal image of beauty, but I knew I wasn’t hideous, either. To call myself hideous would be an insult to my mother, the most beautiful woman I’d ever known, because even I had to admit that I resembled her quite a bit, only lacking her sunset red curls. I decided, instead, to forego the clothes Peeta gave me in favour of a robe that hung on the back of the door, wrapping it around myself tightly, and when I met Peeta back in his living room, he was sitting on the floor wrapped in a blanket, his clothes drying in front of the fire. He looked up at me and smiled, but then his smile fell to an expression of curiosity as he saw me wearing the robe instead.

“Were the pants too big?” he asked me as I knelt down on the floor beside him, my eyes never leaving his.

“A little bit,” I lied. “What about you? You live here, don’t you have any clothes?”

“Well, yeah... I just... I don’t know...” he looked away awkwardly, staring into the fire with a gentle blush on his cheek. I scooted closer to him and wrapped my arms around his neck, drawing his face to mine and pulling him into a kiss.

“I think we both know why we really didn’t get dressed,” I whispered to him.

“We... we don’t have to do anything... if... if you don’t want to...” he whispered back, his blue eyes showing his nerves.

“Do you not want to?”

“I always want to with you, Katniss.”

“Then what makes you think I don’t?”

“I just... I don’t want to push you...”

“Peeta, we made love the night before we went into the Games. We broke down so many boundaries that night... I miss that night, and I miss feeling the way that you made me feel.”

“M-made love?” he stuttered. “I... I thought you only wanted to... to do it just... just because...”

“I thought I did, too, but I realise now that you’d already clawed your way into my heart.” I pressed my forehead against his. “We don’t have to go all the way tonight, but I want to make you feel good.” He smiled gently, then shifted his head so that his lips were on mine.

“Okay,” he whispered, and then he kissed me again. We kissed passionately for a moment before I felt him lowering me to the ground and he hovered over me, shifting his lips down to my neck and kissing me there.

“Peeta,” I groaned, my hands in his hair as I gripped the blanket that still covered his back.

“I love it when you moan my name like that,” he whispered huskily into my ear before he began to kiss my earlobe.

“Can I take this off?” I asked, tugging on the blanket, and he gave me a muffled ‘mhm’ as he kissed along my jaw. I pushed the blanket off of his back and it slid down to pool around his hips and I let my hands roam his bare back. I let out another quiet moan as he kissed my throat and then he pulled back, sitting up just a little to look down at me and I let my hands roam over his strong, muscular chest. My fingers gently brushed the little blonde hairs that grew on his chest and I shuddered, and his hands slid up my waist and rested on my shoulders.

“Can I take this off?” he asked me, mirroring my question from earlier, and I smiled and nodded at him. I don’t think he was expecting me to be fully nude beneath that robe because when he opened it and pushed it off of my body, his eyes widened and he gasped, averting his eyes for a moment before meeting mine. I couldn’t help but giggle at him as I took his hands.

“You can look,” I told him, placing his hands directly beneath my breasts. His eyes shifted downwards, eyeing my breasts hungrily before he slid his right hand up to cup my left breast and brought his lips down onto my right one. I moaned as his lips brushed against my sensitive nipple and gripped his hair even tighter when I felt him suck on it. “ _Peeta..._ ” I said, and I felt his tongue flick out as a reward for moaning his name. “Peeta... Oh, Peeta...” He switched gears then, moving his mouth to my left breast and replacing his mouth on my right with his left hand. I could feel my core starting to heat up with the fire that this wonderful boy - my sweet Peeta - was igniting inside of me and I tugged on his hair, drawing his eyes up to mine. “Peeta... I need you...” He obliged me, abandoning my breasts and hovering over me once again to press his lips to mine.

“Katniss...” he whispered between kisses. “I want to taste you...” That alone was enough to almost push me over the edge. He wasn’t even touching me yet and I was already moaning and writhing beneath him and I felt his chuckle rumble through his chest against mine. “I haven’t even started yet,” he teased.

“Oh, Peeta... you have no idea... the effect you can have...” I told him.

“I think that’s my line,” he told me, teasing me again, and he kissed me one final time before he started moving south. He met my breasts again, giving each nipple a flick of his tongue before he moved south again, pausing to run his tongue over my navel. As he moved further south, the blanket that had pooled around his waist shifted and I could see that he was still wearing his underpants.

“Take them off,” I hissed, and he paused to look up at me as he chuckled.

“So demanding,” he teased, and he sat up to slide his boxers down, allowing his very obvious erection to spring free.

“God, look at you!” I exclaimed, sitting up and reaching for him, but he stopped me by pushing my shoulders back against the floor.

“Ah ah, my turn first, then you can do whatever you want to me,” he told me, and I sent him a glare. That icy glare quickly melted away as I felt his warm lips graze my pelvis and he trailed his lips down my inner thigh, and I nearly jumped when I felt his fingers brush against my most private area. I hadn’t been touched down there since he touched me the night before the Games, so the feeling of his fingers as they brushed over my folds felt foreign, but good, and I felt myself raise my hips just a little to encourage him to do more. I could feel the vibration of his chuckle and his warm breath on my inner thigh, and then I felt his warm, moist tongue make its way from the bottom of my sex to the very top, stopping just before he met that tiny little bundle of nerves that craved his touch so badly.

“Ugh, stop teasing me, Peeta!” I groaned as he laughed, and I sent him another glare.

“Say it again,” he said back to me.

“Say what?” I asked him, having said a lot to him that night.

“My name, and how you feel about me,” he replied.

“You’re so needy, aren’t you?” I teased, and he once again licked me from the bottom and stopped again before my clitoris, causing me to hiss in response. “ _Peeta!_ ”

“Say it and I’ll give you what you want,” he told me, and I picked my head up to meet his eyes.

“I love you, Peeta Mellark,” I said, and I felt his tongue brush against that bundle of nerves, letting out a cry and gripping his hair very tightly in my hands. “Peeta!”

“Say it again,” he repeated.

“I, uhgh... love you, Peeta...” I said between breaths as his lips wrapped around my clitoris, and as I felt him sucking on it, I bit down into my lip to keep myself from screaming. “Peeta... _Peeta..._ Oh, god, Peeta...” I then felt him slip a finger inside of me, and then another one, and I groaned even louder.

“Let go, Katniss. Come for me, baby,” I heard Peeta say to me. I couldn’t hold on much longer. The combination of hearing his voice, as well as the sensation he gave me between my legs, was enough for me to clench my walls around his fingers and feel my release, and as I relaxed into the floor, my grip on his hair loosened. He picked his head back up to look at me, his lips glistening as he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. “That was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

“You should look into a mirror more often,” I said, trying to catch my breath. I then sat up and attacked him, pushing him down onto the floor and attacking his lips with mine. “My turn,” I whispered into his ear. I took his lead and mimicked a lot of what he did to me - kissing him behind his earlobe, kissing his neck, flicking his own nipples with my tongue, as I made my way down to his manhood. I pushed myself up just a little to look at him, seeing the lust swimming in his eyes as I ran a finger up his shaft, and his face contorted into one of pleasure as I teased him.

“Katniss,” he groaned, and I teased him with yet another finger running up his shaft. “You’re going to kill me...”

“Not as funny when it’s you getting teased, is it?” I asked him, and he only groaned in response. “It’s your turn to say it again, Mellark.”

“I love you, Katniss...” he groaned out, and as a reward, I wrapped my hand around his shaft and gently brushed his tip with my tongue.

“Again,” I whispered, making sure to breathe on the sensitive flesh of his penis.

“Ugh, _IloveyouKatniss_ ,” he said, now rushed, and I couldn’t help but chuckle as I rewarded him with another lick, and then I took him into my mouth. When we’d tried this before the Games, we weren’t very successful, as I couldn’t take as much of him in my mouth as I would have liked, so this time, I took maybe two inches in and hungrily flicked my tongue across his tip while my hand finished him off. I licked and sucked him as he writhed on the floor beneath me, crying out and gripping the blanket in his fists. “Katniss, I’m gonna come,” he warned me. The last time he’d warned me, he told me to remove my mouth so he could come on his stomach, but I wasn’t allowing that this time. “Katniss...” he warned me again, but I continued what I was doing until I felt his warm, salty fluids evacuate his tip into my mouth, and with a swift swallow to keep myself from gagging on the idea of what was in my mouth, I kissed his tip one final time as he came down from his release, climbing my way up his chest and pressing my lips against his shoulder. After a moment, he wrapped his arms tightly around me, pulling the blanket up and covering the both of us with it.

“I hope we get to do that more often,” I whispered to him in the night.

“Any time you want, come and find me... I’ll be happy to oblige,” he whispered back, and I felt his lips in my hair. “Get some sleep... I love you, Katniss.”

“I love you,” I said back, being cut off by a yawn. I snuggled up against his chest and dozed off into one of the best sleeps I’d ever had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why is Katniss feeling so unwell?
> 
> Please review!


	4. The Little Bun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katniss discovers some shocking news. She and Peeta must find some way to cope with it.

* * *

**PEETA POV**

* * *

It was now late September, still a little warm from the final rays of summer, but the cool breeze of autumn was in the air. I was doing a little bit of work at the bakery again, after a long talk convinced my mother that my help may actually be useful to her. People were willing to spend more on a cake made by a Hunger Games victor, and there were people in the Capitol who wanted to order a cake decorated by me, and my mother of course couldn’t pass up on the opportunity. Ever since I came back, she’s been less abusive towards me, likely because of my actions in the Hunger Games, but she also didn’t speak to me nearly as much. I suppose more silence was a better alternative than being slapped around or beaten with a rolling pin. I knew she disapproved of my relationship with Katniss, too.

“Refugees don’t have a place with merchants,” she said out of the blue one day.

“Mothers shouldn’t hit their children, either,” I replied, my newfound boldness coming from spending so much time with Katniss. My mother didn’t respond to me after that, but instead, went upstairs to the apartment above the bakery. My family didn’t come with me to my house because they wanted to stay close to the bakery, which made sense. My oldest brother, Christos, would be moving out soon, anyway, as he was engaged to his childhood friend, Aaricia Lennon, the blacksmith’s daughter, and would be apprenticing as a blacksmith. My older brother, Donnel, who we called Rye, just recently graduated school and would be working full time at the bakery, so with Christos leaving, they needed my help.

The one thing about Katniss that my mother respected was the fact that she was a district midwife, which was a very honourable job to have in District Twelve. The district midwives would answer any call at any hour and in any weather to bring a baby into the world, whether it was Seam or merchant, and it didn’t matter where that midwife came from. “At least she’s a midwife,” my mother said another time. “I can’t imagine my son marrying a coal miner.” Katniss and I hadn’t even talked about marriage, but it was inevitable, wasn’t it?

Katniss was very busy this time of year, as a lot of babies were conceived in the winter and born in the fall. On the day she had a later shift, I made sure to steal some time with her, luring her into my home with cheese buns and stealing as many kisses as I possibly could. I guess the passion became too much for her because she demanded then that I take her upstairs, and of course, I had to oblige my beautiful woman. We still hadn’t made love the same way we had in the arena - we mostly just touched each other and all that - but that didn’t mean that we couldn’t heat the bed. After I’d made her come three times, once with my mouth and twice with my hand, we lay on the bed with the sheets and comforter kicked off to cool us down just a bit. Katniss was on her back and I was on my left side, kissing her bare shoulder and running my hand up and down her stomach when my hand passed over a somewhat rigid bump over her lower stomach. I ran my hand over it again, and then again, pressing down on it the third time.

“Everything all right?” she asked me, looking at me curiously as I examined this mysterious lump.

“I hope so... I don’t remember feeling this little bump here the last time we were together,” I replied, meeting her eyes. “Maybe you should ask your mom to look at you.”

“She’s not my mother,” Katniss reminded me sharply, her hand pushing mine out of the way to feel that rigid little bump. I watched her hand first, and then her eyes, and saw a momentary flash of panic in them before she buried it away.

“Katniss, are you sure you’re okay?” I asked her.

“Fine... never better...” she said somewhat quickly, and she sat up and started to dress in her uniform again.

“Katniss,” I said, disappointed that our morning together was coming to an end.

“I’ve got to go, Peeta, or I’ll be late,” she replied, not meeting my eyes.

“If the lump freaked you out, I’m sure it’s nothing!” I said, sitting up and pulling her to me. She was facing me, her hands on my shoulders and her eyes not meeting mine.

“I’m not worried about the lump,” she replied, and then she looked up at me, giving me a forced smile. “I’ll be fine. It’s probably breakfast or something, or even a touch of gas. Who knows?” She leaned forward to catch my lips in a chaste kiss. “I’ll come by later if I can, all right?” I nodded as she pushed a hand through my hair and I pulled her to my chest to kiss her again.

“I love you,” I told her.

“I love you, too, Peeta,” she replied, trying to reassure me that there was nothing wrong, but she was not good at hiding that hint of panic in her eyes. Before I knew it, she was out of my arms and out the door, and I just sighed, dressed and made my way down to the bakery.

* * *

**KATNISS POV**

* * *

I was very worried about the lump. For a couple of weeks, I’d suspected that something was amiss, especially when I woke up nauseous every day for five days straight and threw up bile into my toilet. You can’t ignore your symptoms when you’re trained to recognise them. Peeta and I hadn’t been together since the tenth of July, and we hadn’t used protection, either. Why would we have? We both thought we were going to die, so it didn’t really matter, did it? Neither of us thought we’d even make it as far as we did, let alone survive. It was the twenty-fourth of September, which would mark two and a half months since the night Peeta and I made love to each other - ten weeks.

I tried not to let my worry show, though, as I had work to do and mothers to tend to. The only merchant midwife, Sidney Silversmith, smiled warmly at me when I walked into the little hovel we called our clinic. “Hi, Katniss,” she said with a smile, and I gave her a gentle smile in return. Sidney Silversmith was the wife of a district official and was in her mid-30s. She was a mother herself, but she was a very skilled midwife and we needed her. Most mothers in District Twelve stay home to raise their children or work in their husbands’ businesses, but with Mr. Silversmith being a district official and their children being almost fourteen, sixteen and ten, we were glad to have Sidney.

“Morning, Sidney,” I said in response, trying to hide any discomfort from my thoughts from earlier. “Are Astrella and Cascade here yet?”

“They’ve both gone out. Mrs. Keely’s gone into labour and it’s twins,” said Sidney in response. Astrella Clover and Cascade Hawthorne were the other midwives that were from the Seam. Astrella Clover was a coal miner’s wife and she was, unfortunately, sterile, so she couldn’t have children, and Cascade Hawthorne was indeed related to Gale - she was his father’s sister, so his aunt, and she never married. Both of them were in their forties. I was the only midwife between us four who was Hebridean, so I was often the one sent out to Hebridean mothers.

Later in the day, when I had a moment, I snuck out to the bathroom to pee into a cup. My job at that time was to test the urine samples we were given for the week, which added up to four, and I fudged the paperwork just a little to make it look like there were supposed to be five, using the name of Peeta’s brother’s fiancée. I dropped the chemicals into each of the cups and let them sit and develop for an hour. If they turned purple, they were positive, and if they remained the same colour, they were negative. When they were finally done, I looked at all five of the little cups that were there - three were positive, two were negative. My stomach clenched and I carefully and slowly made my way over to the table, reading the names of each little cup.

_Hazel Walters - negative_

_Cady Hansey - positive_

_Blue Wintergreen - positive_

_Ivy Lewis - negative_

My heart dropped into my stomach.

_Aaricia Lennon - positive_

I went blind. I lost my vision for I don’t even know how long and I felt sick to my stomach. I started panicking and breathing heavily, trying so hard to calm myself down, but I just couldn’t. I grabbed the cup and the paperwork associated with it and ran out of the clinic, my eyes blinded by panic. I needed to get away from everything. I needed to get to the woods. I needed Gale’s familiar friendship, I needed Peeta’s strong arms and his whispered words. I needed my mother - not Agnessa, my real mother, Eilidh - but she was dead, and I’d never have the chance to see her again. I didn’t even know where I was running to, but I suddenly found myself in somebody’s arms and my vision finally came to; I was on the ground, looking down towards it, and there were small hands on my back.

“For god’s sake, girl, calm down!” I heard a familiar voice, and I picked up my head to meet the grey eyes of Mellie Mellark, Peeta’s mother. I gasped and backed away from her, finding myself behind the bakery as I backed into the same apple tree Peeta had given me the bread under. “What on earth has gotten into you?”

“I... I...” I stuttered, unable to get a single word out of my throat. I was shaking furiously and I must have looked like quite the sight. “Wh... P... wh...” There were tears falling freely from my eyes as I pulled my knees to my chest and rocked myself back and forth. The English words of what I wanted to say wouldn’t come to me, so I said the words in Gàidhlig. “Where is Peeta? Where is Peeta?”

“He isn’t here,” she said in English, which caused my eyes to widen, and for a moment, I was distracted from my panic. This was a woman who hated refugees and people from the Seam, and she could understand what I said? She must have read the expression on my face because hers turned angry. “Get out of here, girl, you aren’t welcome here! Get!” I quickly got up and ran off, still gripping the positive pregnancy test in my hand, and I made my way back to the Village. Could I tell Prim? No, she’s too young! She’ll never understand! I couldn’t tell Agnessa, she’d have way too much satisfaction from telling me ‘I told you so’. Could I tell Peeta? I _should_ tell Peeta, but in the moment, I was so afraid to see him and to admit that I was carrying a child inside of me, the one thing in this world that I would never, ever want. I didn’t even know where he was, anyway!

So I ran to Haymitch. I burst in through his door, startling him from his sleep. “The hell are you whinin’ about, girl?” he snapped at me when I threw myself at his feet, hyperventilating and shoving the cup with the purple liquid into his hands. He took it from me and examined it. “The hell is this? Some girl’s piss in a cup? Aaricia Lennon... Don’t know her. She a friend?” He handed it back to me.

“It’s... it’s not... it’s not hers... I... put a... fake name... on... it...” I puffed, and Haymitch let out a sigh and handed me the bottle of white liquor in his hands.

“Drink this, sweetheart, you need it,” he said, but I shook my head.

“I can’t...” I said, my eyes falling to the cup in his hands. Haymitch followed my gaze, then looked back up at me as the realisation dawned on him.

“Oh, kid... You’re kiddin’, aren’t you?” I shook my head and buried my face in my hands to hide my sobs, and I felt Haymitch’s arms wrap themselves around me. He awkwardly patted my back as he tried to comfort me. “I didn’t even know y’all were at that point yet. How can ya even know?”

“It happened... before the Games...” I said, sniffling. “The night before the Games... we got together, and... and we didn’t use any kind of protection. Why would we? We both thought we were going to die...”

“Have you told the boy?”

“I’ve only just found out now! Or ten minutes ago, I don’t know... I don’t know where he is...” Haymitch’s eyes glanced up over my shoulder and I heard a footstep, and when I turned, I saw Peeta standing in the doorframe looking both concerned and confused.

“What’s going on?” he asked, and suddenly, I couldn’t find the ability to speak anymore. I stared at him with my eyes wide as he looked between myself and Haymitch. “Katniss, what’s going on? Haymitch?” Haymitch raised a finger to his lips and pointed to the ceiling, then motioned for Peeta to come over, which he did, and he knelt down on the floor beside me. I was shaking like a leaf, and he just put one hand on my upper back and rubbed it soothingly while taking one of my hands in his other. Haymitch then handed Peeta the cup with the purple liquid inside of it and Peeta examined it curiously. “Aaricia Lennon? Katniss, what is this?”

“It ain’t whoever the hell that is,” Haymitch told him.

“What even is it?” Peeta asked our mentor.

“Boy, you are thick. Let’s go outside,” Haymitch replied, standing up. Peeta helped me to stand and walked me out to Haymitch’s backyard. “Sweetheart, do you wanna tell him?” Haymitch asked me, and I slowly glanced up at the two of them. I swallowed my fear and took both of Peeta’s hands in mine, closing my eyes for a moment to fend off the tears before opening them again to meet Peeta’s patient blue ones.

“Peeta...” I began. “That’s a test that we give to all women in the district who are married... They have to get them once a month, to check and see if they’re...” I paused for a moment. “...you know what the Capitol asks of married couples...”

“That they have kids?” Peeta asked, and I nodded. “So what is this? It has my brother’s fiancée’s name on it. I don’t understand your reaction. Are you saying she’s...” He trailed off, clearly very confused about the situation. He hadn’t made the connection yet. I shook my head, and then I took his hand and placed it over that little lump he’d found on my stomach earlier that morning, and that was when it dawned on him. His free hand covered his mouth as he realised what I was saying. “It... it’s _yours_?” he whispered quietly, and I nodded, closing my eyes again to fight off more tears. “My god... Wh-what do we do? Haymitch?”

“Ain’t my thing. I can’t do nothin’ but keep quiet,” Haymitch replied.

“We... we can get rid of it... if you... if you’d like...” Peeta told me, and my eyes shot open and I must have looked shocked. “Katniss, you don’t want this... I can’t live with myself if I’ve forced something on you that you didn’t ask for. So if you want to get rid of it... then we will.”

“That’s illegal,” I said back quietly.

“I know... I’m willing to do anything to make you happy, Katniss. I love you,” Peeta replied. God, how dare he be so kind? He was the most selfless person I’d ever met! I shook my head and then wrapped my arms around his neck, resting my chin on his shoulder.

“I can’t kill another child...” I whispered into his ear. “I don’t know what to do... but I couldn’t go through with that even if I wanted to.”

“I guess we can hope it... deals with itself on its own...” Peeta replied. I could feel more tears coming on and I buried my face into his shoulder. In response, Peeta gently rubbed my back and held me tightly.

“Snow’s gonna find eventually, if you intend on keepin’ it. The victory tour’s in a few months. Kid ain’t gonna come before it, either,” Haymitch told us. It was harsh, but it was his job to be realistic. “Y’all know the drill with children of victors...”

“We’ll find a way,” Peeta said, burying his lips in my hair. “We always manage to find a way, don't we?”

“There’s no way I can hide it, Peeta. Not forever,” I told him. I then pulled back somewhat from Peeta’s embrace and looked at Haymitch. “Do we have to tell him?”

“There ain’t no protocol for this kinda stuff. Then again, most victors don’t run into this kinda situation right away,” Haymitch replied. “Just do what you’re doin’... if Snow wants somethin’ done, he’ll come to you, but you can’t hide it. Don’t act suspicious. That’s what’s gonna draw attention to you. You’re already on thin ice with him, sweetheart.”

“I know,” I replied, laying my head on Peeta’s shoulder.

“I’m gonna leave y’all alone now, since I got rudely awoken from my nap. Take whatever time ya need,” Haymitch told us, and he stalked off back inside his house. Peeta and I were silent for a moment as he held me tightly and every so often, I felt his lips in my hair.

“We’ll have to tell your mother,” he whispered to me.

“She’s not my mother,” I said firmly.

“Fine, we’ll have to tell your _aunt_. You heard Haymitch... we shouldn’t hide this. We should act like we’re happy about this.”

“Easy for you to say. You _are_ happy about this. You _wanted_ this.”

“Not this way,” he said firmly, and I picked up my head to look at him. “I wanted children, yes, but I didn’t want them to be forced on you. I was willing to wait until you were ready, and if you never were then I could accept that, too. We both knew we were going to be expected to have kids someday whether we liked it or not...”

“I don’t know how I could possibly be happy about this...” I pulled back from the embrace and my hand rested on my small little bump. “This child is being raised for slaughter... This child will see the arena, and we’re going to have to find a way to keep them alive. We don’t know how old they’ll be when that happens, we just know that it will, and we’ll lose this child.” I felt another tear fall from my eye and roll down my cheek. “I’m afraid to love it because I know I’m going to lose it...”

“Honey,” Peeta said, pulling me back into his arms. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there... If this baby even makes it, we should make sure it knows how loved it is. Not every child of a victor has been reaped. Maybe we’ll get lucky...”

“But we won’t. Snow is angry with us. The Capitol is angry with us. Snow’s going to punish us by taking any children we have and throwing them into the arena to die. The odds will _never_ be in their favour!”

“I know...” He buried his hand in my hair and let out a deep sigh. “I’m so sorry... This is all my fault.”

“How is it your fault? We did this together. It takes two to make a baby, Peeta.”

“I shouldn’t have let us go that far... I shouldn’t have let that night happen.” I pulled back from the embrace, now furious with him.

“How _dare_ you say that? Peeta, I don’t regret a second of time that we’ve spent together, even if it led me to facing one of my greatest fears! Who knows what would have happened if you’d stopped us... What if we didn’t survive in the arena? Or worse, what if we did and I thought you didn’t love me? What if that night was what gave me the courage to beg you to understand me and what I was feeling? Peeta, I regret nothing about that night and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“I’m sorry... I just... I can’t imagine how scared you are right now. I didn’t want you to get hurt or have to ever face this but now you are and there’s nothing I can do.”

“I’m not facing it alone, Peeta. I have you. I don’t know what I’d be doing now if I didn’t have you by my side. You’re the reason I’ve been able to cope with what happened in the Games. You’re the reason I haven’t turned into my own version of Haymitch. Peeta, I wouldn’t change a single thing if it meant that I wouldn’t be standing here with you by my side. I need you, more than anything or anyone in the world.” To solidify my point, I took his face in my hands and gave him a deep, passionate kiss, and then I held him against me again with my hand in his hair. “We’ll deal with this... We’ll face this together. We already knew that we’d never leave the arena... it’s just on a whole different scale now.”

“I love you so much, Katniss... I promise we’ll get through this together. I’m not leaving you.”

“You’d better not,” I said, and he chuckled gently. “I love you, too...” We held each other in silence. I won’t lie, I was terrified of what was to come. I knew what having a child meant. I knew the procedure and I knew what could happen. But one thing I could always do - that I always had to do - was set aside my fear when someone I loved was fearful, too. I had to be strong for Peeta, or perhaps we wouldn’t get through this. I knew he wanted to be the one who was strong for me, but in truth, I had to be strong for him. He would never stop blaming himself for what happened to me after the Games, always saying that he should have eaten those damn berries so I could be the sole victor, just like they wanted. As much trouble as those damn berries have brought me, I wouldn’t trade that decision for anything.

* * *

**PEETA POV**

* * *

I was going to be a dad. Katniss was going to be the mother of my child. Holy shit, I was going to be a _dad_. I was sixteen years old, I had just survived the Hunger Games, and I was going to be a dad. When I realised that Katniss had told me she was pregnant, I felt my throat close up and my eyes tear up, but I couldn’t allow myself to be weak or scared. Katniss needed me to be strong for her - she was the one who was having the baby, and she was the one who was vehemently opposed to having children, and I can’t blame her. I wanted children so badly, but she was right, the children of victors were more likely to be reaped, and the children of the Star-Crossed Lovers of District Twelve? The Capitol was probably already taking money for those Games, however far in the future they might be. This child won’t live past reaping age because they will be guaranteed to be reaped, and it made me sick to think that my child was going to die still a child at the hands of the Capitol.

I needed to see my dad. I needed someone who knew what it felt like to have a child in a world where children were killed for sport. I know my dad loved myself, Christos and Rye more than anything in the world and he really did have to watch one of his children get reaped. He was the only person I trusted to go to for advice, and so when the bakery was closed, I asked him to meet me in the meadow, in a place where we could safely have a quiet conversation. When he met me, I was seated on a rock staring out at the mountains beyond the fence and he startled me by putting a hand on my back. “Relax, Peet. It’s just your dad,” he told me, bending down to kiss my head before sitting down beside me. “What's the matter, son? You seem jumpy.”

“So many things,” I said, looking away from him and back out at the mountains. My hands were in my lap and were fiddling with my shirt. Dad and I were very similar physically. We had the same blue eyes, the same square jaw and the same honey golden colour of blonde hair. I was a little shorter than him, but then again, I was still growing, and we both had broad shoulders and stocky builds. Rye looked more like Mom, with sandy blonde hair with a tint of red in the sun and her stormy grey blue eyes - the same shade, actually, as Katniss’s eyes. Christos was a bit of a mix between the two. He had Mom’s eyes and Dad’s hair.

“Well, I’ve only got about an hour before your mother will come looking for me... but I suppose she can start dinner without me,” said Dad, rubbing my upper back affectionately. “Talk to me, Peet. What’s on your mind?”

“What did it feel like when Chris was born?” I asked, unsure how else to start the conversation.

“What do you mean?” asked my Dad.

“You knew there was a chance he could get reaped and get sent to the Hunger Games... What did it feel like when Mom told you she was having him?”

“I guess I didn’t think about that at the time... I was excited, really. I’d always wanted children, and when I held him for the first time, I was happier than anyone else in the world. Why are you asking this?”

“What did it feel like when I got reaped?” He was silent for a moment, and then he let out a sigh.

“Peet, is there something you need to tell me?”

“Dad, please answer the question.” He was silent again, and he then wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer to him, resting his cheek on the top of my head.

“It felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest and stomped on right in front of me. One of my babies was being sent to be killed for the entertainment of garishly dressed people who have no care in the world for our suffering, and they didn’t care. I was so scared for you, Peeta.” He buried his lips in my hair again as his voice cracked a little. “I wanted to beg Katniss to protect and save you, but I knew it wouldn’t be right to do that. I’d basically be asking her to die to keep you alive. I was prepared to never see you again.” He was quiet again. “I know I haven’t been the best father to you, Peeta, but I love you more than anything in the world. You’re my son. You’re my boy and you’re part of me and I want to keep you safe. I felt helpless that I couldn’t protect you from the Capitol. The day you and Katniss won the Games, I was so happy that you’d be coming back home. You can ask your brothers if you want but I cried tears of joy for hours after that. I love your brothers too, but you and I have always been the closest. You’re the most like me.” He squeezed my shoulder affectionately. “Now it’s your turn to talk. What’s bringing on all these questions?” It was my turn to be silent as I tried to figure out how best to word it, and then I decided to just come out and say it.

“Katniss is pregnant,” I told him. “It’s mine...”

“Peeta...” I didn’t want to look up and see his shocked expression, so I didn’t. I just laid my head on my father’s protective shoulder while he processed what I had just said. “Victors’ children...”

“Are more likely to be reaped, yes...”

“How’s she doing?”

“Scared out of her mind. She didn’t want kids for that exact reason.”

“How far along is she?”

“I don’t know... it happened the night before the Games.”

“That was almost three months ago.”

“Yup.” Another moment of silence passed between us.

“You’re going to be a good dad.” I picked my head up then to look at him, having expected some lecture about how I was stupid to get a girl pregnant at sixteen, so that was not at all what I had expected. “I mean it, Peet. If you love that kid anything like you love it’s mother, you’re going to be an incredible father.”

“You don’t think I’m too young?”

“I think you’re too young for a lot of things, such as fighting in a death game for the entertainment of rich and garish strangers.” I couldn’t help the gentle chuckle that fell from my lips. “Those Games forced you to grow up a hell of a lot faster than you should have... same as your mother. You’ve got more money than you know what to do with now so you can support Katniss. That child will never go hungry, nor will he or she ever want for love. And I know Katniss will be an incredible mother. Don’t let her doubt herself. The way she took care of her family... and they weren’t even her blood family.”

“You know about that?”

“Son, everyone knows that Katniss isn’t actually Agnessa’s daughter. Eight-year-old children don’t just appear out of nowhere.” I nodded, then looked back out at the mountains. “There’s no guarantee that your child will be reaped, but there is definitely a higher chance. Just hope against hope that you get lucky. You’re already the luckiest man in all of Panem.”

“Thanks, Dad... I’m really glad I could talk to you about this. I think I’m more scared about what’s going to happen to my kid in the future than I am about it coming.”

“That’s a perfectly valid fear to have.” He stood up and pulled me to stand, then pulled me into a tight embrace. “Live in the moment, son. Life’s too short to focus on what hasn’t happened yet.”

“I will, Dad. Thank you,” I told him as I embraced him.

“And marry that girl, too, won’t you? I know you’re both victors, but Peet, you still have to do the right thing.”

“I will. I swear I will.”

“That’s my boy.” He kissed the top of my head again before breaking from the embrace. “Go on back to her, then, and take good care of her. If either of you need anything, call me and I’ll do what I can.” I nodded, and he ruffled my hair before we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. My father was incredibly supportive and that was enough to calm any fears I had - at least, for a little while. The Capitol still knew nothing about Katniss’s pregnancy, although we were following Haymitch’s advice and not really trying to hide it. I wasn’t afraid to hold my child in my arms and raise that beautiful little baby, but I was terrified of what was to happen when President Snow found out.

When I returned home, Katniss was sitting on my stoop, still in her midwifery uniform as I approached. I smiled at her gently and sat down on the steps beside her. “Hey,” I said, nudging her with my shoulder. “Did you tell your family?”

“Not yet,” she replied. “Peeta, I was thinking... I don’t want to be without you anymore, not in any sense. I can’t sleep without you, I rely on you to keep me sane and just don’t want to live under a roof that you don’t also live under, even if that roof is just across the street.”

“So what you’re saying is...”

“I want to marry you, Peeta. I want to be yours in every sense, same as I want you to be mine. I don’t know if it’s... this situation... that’s making me think like this, but I know that it’s what I want. I know we’re so young and we’ve just survived the Hunger Games, but...” I didn’t let her finish. Instead, I got up and knelt down on one knee in front of her, taking her hands in mine, and she looked at me with a rather perplexed expression. “Peeta, what are you-”

“Shh, I’m proposing to you,” I told her, and she shut her mouth. “Katniss, I have loved you every day since the day I heard you sing and the birds stopped to listen, and every single day, that love has gotten stronger and stronger. I know we were brought together by something so horrible that it only makes sense for us to be together, but I want you to know that no matter what happens, I always have and I always will love you so much. So Katniss... Will you marry me?”

“Peeta...” said Katniss with an endearing look in her eye. “Of course I’ll marry you... I love you so much.” With a smile on my face, I stood back up and pulled her into my arms, kissing her face all over until I finally landed on her lips as her arms wrapped around my neck. We were pulled from our moment of love by the sound of someone clearing their throat and when we both turned, we were surprised to see both Agnessa and Prim standing not very far away.

“What’s going on here?” Agnessa asked suspiciously.

* * *

**KATNISS POV**

* * *

I was startled by Agnessa’s sudden appearance that disrupted mine and Peeta’s moment and I was not at all prepared to tell her that I was expecting a baby. She’d scold me, yell at me and I’d absolutely never hear the end of it about how ‘immature and irresponsible’ I am, even though she’s only living a better life now because I survived the Hunger Games. I gripped onto Peeta’s shoulders tightly as Agnessa impatiently tapped her foot. “I’m waiting,” she said.

“Uh...” I said, unsure of where to even begin, and then Peeta took over.

“I’ve just proposed to Katniss and she said yes,” he said, letting go of me and stepping to my side. I wasn’t ready to let him go yet, so I grasped his arm and held on tightly. “I, uh... I’m really sorry that I didn’t ask for your blessing first, Mrs. Everdeen. I just sort of, er... got caught up in the moment.” He looked at me and smiled. “She’s just so perfect... I can’t help myself when she’s around.”

“Primrose, go inside,” Agnessa told Prim in an agitated tone. Prim didn’t even try to argue - she just quickly ran inside, and Agnessa turned on us. “You’ve _proposed_ to her? Might I ask why?”

“Because he loves me, Agnessa. Why else do you ask someone to marry you?” I said to her somewhat rudely.

“You know as well as I do, Katniss Everdeen, that that is not the only reason people propose marriage, especially in the districts,” Agnessa spat back. “I knew I should have had you tested. You’re pregnant, aren’t you? How could you both be so foolish? Katniss, you of all people should know better, being a midwife! How far along are you?” There was no point in lying to her. I just let out a sigh.

“Ten weeks,” I replied quietly.

“ _Ten weeks?_ And you’re just telling me _now_?”

“I’ve only known since this morning! Agnessa, I swear I had no reason to suspect before-”

“Nausea, vomiting, a lack of your period-” She’d started in English before she swapped over to scold me in Gàidhlig, which was easier for both of us. “Katniss, you _knew_ ! There is _no_ way you couldn’t have known!”

“I didn’t want to believe it was possible, Agnessa! You know I didn’t want children!” I spat back.

“So what made you think having sex was a good idea? _Unprotected_ sex, no less!”

“It happened the night before the Games! We both thought we were going to die and we seized the moment! I don’t care how stupid or foolish you think I am because I don’t regret it one bit!”

“And what would you have done if he didn’t come out of the Games with you?”

“Then I still would be carrying his baby! Agnessa, I’ve got more money now than I know what to do with. This baby will never want for anything. I don’t go to school, I’ll never work in the mines. I don’t even have to hunt, but I still do that. What do you think I would have done?” She then turned on Peeta, speaking to him in English.

“You should be so ashamed of yourself. How dare you take advantage of her like that?” she demanded from him.

“He didn’t take advantage of me, I asked him to! He would have been perfectly fine with us not doing anything so don’t you dare turn on him!” I spat back, not giving Peeta, who looked terrified, a chance to respond.

“Your father will be furious, Peeta Mellark. You’d better marry her or I swear I’ll-”

“Do _what?”_ I demanded, shutting her up, and then I spoke to her in Gàidhlig. “This baby is the child of two victors of the Games. This child is guaranteed to be reaped. After what we’ve been through, we deserve to be treated and respected like adults. I know we’re still both just sixteen, but we’ve both been forced to grow up way beyond our years. Your anger is unjust.” She was silent as she listened to me speak. “I’m not going to put up with you trying to control me anymore. I’m going to marry Peeta, I’m going to have this baby and I’m going to live my life the way that _I_ want to live it because Agnessa, my life _fucking_ sucks and you know what? That’s okay, because I’m going to make the best of it, and you are _not_ taking that away from me. Accept the fact that you are _not_ my mother and hope that I have enough heart in me to even let you be a part of my child’s life.” She was stunned into silence now, her eyes wide and her face reading an expression of hurt. I then switched gears and spoke again in English. “Keep the house, and my victor’s winnings. Peeta and I can live more than comfortably on his alone. I’m moving in with Peeta and I’ll let you know when we decide to do the toasting.”

With that said, I turned on my heel and stalked into Peeta’s house, not wanting to be around her for another moment. After a few more minutes, Peeta joined me inside and pulled me into his arms from behind. “Are you okay?” he asked me.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said, somewhat sadly, and then I lifted my head to look at him. “Are you up for dinner? I’m quite hungry.”

And that was that. Haymitch knew and so did Agnessa, and I believe Peeta had gone to tell his father, too. Inside of me was a tiny human, half Peeta and half me, that was going to grow up and be sent for slaughter, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. As Peeta made dinner, I took a moment to go into the bathroom to look at my reflection. The girl looking back at me was going to be a mother. She had the chocolate brown hair of Clan Fòlais, and the stormy grey eyes of Hebridia. And inside of her was a child that may have the same Hebridean storm grey eyes and chocolate brown Fòlais hair as it’s mother, or a child that may have the same merchant blue eyes and honey golden blonde hair as its father. Or maybe both. Perhaps it would have chocolate brown Fòlais hair and merchant blue eyes, or perhaps it would have honey golden blonde hair and Hebridean storm grey eyes. The girl in the mirror met my eyes and her hand roamed her abdomen until it came to rest on the little bump that was already forming there, and her lips stretched into a gentle smile.

Despite how scared I truly was, I knew that there was nothing I could do to stop myself from loving this child, and I will do whatever it takes to protect it.

* * *

**PEETA POV**

* * *

I couldn’t rest easy knowing that Katniss and Agnessa were on such bad terms, so I found myself knocking on the door of Katniss’s old house a couple of days after we discovered her pregnancy. I didn’t expect Agnessa to answer the door, but she did, so I had to prepare myself to speak to her. “Good morning, Mrs. Everdeen,” I began awkwardly, wringing my hands in front of me. “Um... I... I just wanted to say that... I meant no disrespect whatsoever by proposing to Katniss without getting your blessing first. And as for the baby...” I let out a sigh. “It was not at all my intention for that to happen. I made a mistake and I want to apologise for my actions. I love Katniss more than anything and I will support and protect her no matter what happens or what decisions she makes.”

“She’s been saying for years she doesn’t even want children,” Agnessa told me firmly, and I nodded.

“Yes, I know...”

“You can assure me this wasn’t against her will?”

“Not at all, Mrs. Everdeen! It was only the one time, I swear! We haven’t been... that way... since.”

“But you have been together in other ways.”

“...yes...” Her expression turned into one of exasperation. “Mrs. Everdeen, please, I want you to know that I respect your daughter in every way and have not touched her unless she asked me to-”

“She’s not my daughter, as she loves to remind me every day, and I’m sure she’s told you the same.”

“...yes, she has...”

“Peeta, I know you love and respect Katniss very much. I’m more disappointed in her for defying everything I’ve asked of her-”

“Mrs. Everdeen, forgive me, but Katniss has told me that you shut down after the death of your husband and left both her and Prim to fend for themselves. Katniss feels that you gave up your right to be a parent at least to her when you abandoned her and left her and Prim to starve.” I shocked even myself. Something in me must have cracked, but I couldn’t allow myself to stand back and let Agnessa assume things about Katniss. “She doesn’t defy you just to do it, she doesn’t listen to anything you have to say because you won’t listen to her. When Katniss needed a mother, you weren’t there for her. Maybe instead of being a mother to her... be her friend. Or her aunt, like you really are. I think you might find that Katniss will respond better to being asked to do something rather than told.” Agnessa stood there in silence, stunned at my words. “I really hope that you’ll be able to be in the life of our child and I really hope that you will be there for our toasting... We’ve decided to have it as soon as possible, while Katniss is still small enough for her pregnancy to go unnoticed. I’ll let you know the date soon. Have a good day, Mrs. Everdeen.”

I turned and left, wondering why the hell I felt drawn to speaking to Katniss’s mother - aunt. I really hoped that I didn’t make things worse between them...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think will happen when President Snow finds out? Will Katniss be punished?
> 
> Please review!


	5. The Toasting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mellie Mellark pays her sister a visit. Katniss and Peeta have their toasting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ‘’S Toigh Leam Fhìn Buntàta ‘S Ìm’ — Julie Fowlis

* * *

**MELLIE POV**

* * *

On a chilly day in late September, I went looking for my sister at the grocer, but she was nowhere to be found. It wasn’t often that we spoke, but Caseo, my husband, asked me to find her and invite her to Peeta’s toasting with that Seam rat he called his girlfriend. Normally, I would have put up a fight about going, but Caseo stood firm - I was going to attend whether I liked it or not. At least if I invited my sister, it would be a little more bearable for me. When I arrived at the grocer, my brother-in-law, Archer, smiled when he saw me, but it was a forced smile. “Mellie, what a pleasant surprise!” he said to me.

“Hello, Archer,” I said cooly. “I’m here to see my sister. Is she in?”

“Down at the Hob today,” Archer told me. I shuddered. My sister and I were brought up in the merchant class, merchants weren’t supposed to go down to the Hob, but something about it always seemed to attract my sister. I nodded my thanks to Archer before I left and headed to the Hob, making damn sure to cover my head and face with my shawl so no one would recognise me. When I arrived, I found my sister deep in conversation with an older man in a language I positively abhorred, and I cleared my throat. She stopped and turned, a look of surprise etched on her face when she recognised me.

“Mellie,” she said.

“Hello, Maidie,” I replied in English.

“What are you doing here?” my sister, Maidie, asked me. We were both in our forties now, each of us with silver storm grey eyes and reddish-blonde hair. She was two years older than me.

“My son’s getting married and asked that you be invited. Thought I would stop by and invite you myself, but Archer said you were here,” I replied.

“I thought Christos’s wedding wasn’t until the winter,” Maidie asked me, and I shook my head.

“It is in winter. My youngest son is getting married,” I told her.

“Peeta?” I nodded. “Oh, good for him, after the right foul things he had to endure in the Hunger Games. To the girl from the Seam? The Hebridean one?”

“Yes.”

“Good for him. He’s not blinded by class or by status.” I knew she was making a dig at me. I narrowed my eyes at her.

“Shall I tell him you’re coming or not?” I asked sharply.

“Of course, I’d love to go. His fiancée is a wonderful person. She delivered my Alice’s daughter in the spring.” I nodded.

“Good. It’ll be on Sunday at their home in the Village. Three o’clock, don’t be late.”

“I won’t be.” We exchanged a moment of silence, and then Maidie tapped my arm. “It was good to see you, Mel.” She then walked off, and I turned to watch her leave the Hob. As I was about to take my own leave, a familiar melody started wafting through the air, one I hadn’t heard in years. Of course, I never heard it set to music, but my mother used to sing it to me...

_ ‘S toigh leam fhìn buntàta ‘s ìm, _

_ ‘S toigh leam fhìn na caileagan, _

_ ‘S toigh leam fhìn buntàta ‘s ìm, _

_ Is nìghneagan a’ bhaile seo... _

I brushed off the memory. My mother was dead and she’d been dead for years. I remembered where I was and huffed to myself, angry that I was being dragged into my past by the sound of a melody being played on some old broken fiddle. I stormed out of there as quickly as I could, refusing to spend another minute with the lowly class of the Seam.

* * *

**KATNISS POV**

* * *

It was Sunday, the thirtieth of September, the day that Peeta and I decided would be the day of our toasting. I woke up in our bed alone - I had moved in with him the day I discovered my pregnancy - to a note that simply said:

_ Katniss, _

_ I love you. I’ll see you soon, my beautiful bride. _

_ Yours forever, _

_ Peeta _

It warmed my heart to hold this simple, but sweet note in my hands. Peeta would be getting ready at the bakery with his brothers while I would be getting ready at my old house with Agnessa and Prim. Agnessa and I were not on speaking terms and she respected my space, but Peeta convinced me that it wouldn’t be right to not invite her to the toasting. “She still raised you, Katniss,” he’d said in response.

“No she didn’t. I raised myself and Prim and kept Agnessa alive,” I spat back.

“It still wouldn’t be right to not invite her,” Peeta persisted, and I sighed and gave up. It didn’t matter who was watching, honestly; all that mattered was that I was marrying the only man in the world that could melt my icy heart - the only man who reminded me that my heart still had room for love within it. Prim and I prepared together, Prim helping me dress in a beautiful cream-coloured dress that was simple and had been designed by Cinna, along with a note that said ‘ _ I’m always betting on you, girl on fire’ _ . I had also gone to fetch the Fòlais tartan from my treehouse - it looked like a blanket, so it could easily be passed off as one anyway. It was, after all, quite chilly outside. I wrapped it around my waist in the traditional Hebridean wedding style. Around my neck, too, was a tartan cloth that was very commonly worn in Hebridean weddings for the what we call ‘the exchange of the tartan’, in which, if Peeta were Hebridean, we would exchange his family tartan with mine and he would give me his to signify the joining of the two families.

Prim was trying to help me with my hair, something I had asked her and not Agnessa to do, when there was a knock at the door. “Come in,” I said, hoping it was anyone but Agnessa, and when the person who knocked entered the room, I was nearly shocked. “Mrs. Mellark,” I said, meeting the woman’s storm grey eyes in the mirror. “Can I help you?”

“I, uh... Well...” the woman began, and she let out a sigh. “As you know, I don’t have any daughters.”

“Yes, something you never fail to remind your youngest son of,” I said, somewhat bitterly and still not turning around.

“Aaricia doesn’t want me all that involved in her wedding and Christos isn’t going to ask her to... and Rye, well, lord knows if he ever intends on settling down... I was wondering if I might... be of some assistance,” said Mrs. Mellark, and I was actually quite surprised. She was refraining from any and all harsh remarks about how I was a Seam rat and about how she hated refugees.

“Did Peeta ask you to come?” I asked her.

“No, I came on my own,” she replied. I glanced at Prim briefly, who shrugged, and then I turned around to finally face Peeta’s mother.

“I don’t have a mother anymore. You know very well that Agnessa is not my biological mother. I lost my mother when my family came here from Hebridia... You will be the closest thing I will ever have to a mother due to my marriage to your son. So yes, I’ll allow you to help.” She nodded gently, her thin mouth remaining neutral, and she took a few steps closer to me and stood behind me. She picked up the brush that Prim had abandoned as she moved over to sit on the bed and Mrs. Mellark started brushing out my hair.

“You really love my son, don’t you?” she asked me suddenly.

“Yes, very much so,” I told her.

“You hardly know him. Aren’t you afraid you’re rushing the relationship a little bit?”

“I’m not worried in the slightest. Peeta and I have been through so much together that there’s no reason why we wouldn’t be happy together. And besides... there are... other reasons... that we have to marry.”

“Yes, my husband told me.” I was silent as I watched her in the mirror as she brushed through my thick chocolate brown curls, and then using a comb, she separated parts of my hair and started to braid them.

“What are you doing?” I asked her.

“A traditional Hebridean wedding braid,” she replied.

“You know how to do those?” I asked again, and she met my eyes in the mirror briefly before returning to her work and nodding quietly. “You understand Gàidhlig, too.”

“Doesn’t everyone in District Twelve know a little bit of the Hebridean language?” She was giving me dodgy answers, as if she was trying to hide something.

“You’ve got the eyes of a Hebridean. Stormy grey, like the cloudy skies of Hebridia.” She was silent as she finished the braid, and then she turned to Prim, who was sitting on the bed.

“This is done, if you want to put the flowers in,” Mrs. Mellark told her, and she nodded and slipped off the bed, and Mrs. Mellark headed towards the door.

“Thank you, Mrs. Mellark,” I said to the middle-aged woman before she left, and she paused in the door.

“You’ll be family soon. Call me Mellie,” she told me, and then she left my old bedroom. I could have sworn I heard a Hebridean inflection when she pronounced the word ‘soon’, as any word with an ‘oo’ sound was generally very hard to hide a Hebridean accent in.

Soon, it was time for the actual ceremony. I had also invited Madge Undersee and her parents, although only her father showed up to officiate the ceremony - her mother had a horrible headache and couldn’t even leave the house. Prim had laced dandelion flowers throughout the intricate braid that Peeta’s mother had done and in my hand was a bouquet of dandelions and wildflowers that Peeta had picked himself the day before. I waited in the living room while everyone else was outside and was joined by Haymitch, who stood in the doorway. “Is what we’re doing okay?” I asked him, and he raised his finger to his lips, pointing again to the ceiling.

“If you love the boy, you know you’re doin’ okay. You could do a hell of a lot worse,” he told me, trying to make it sound as if I hadn’t been asking in regards to Snow.

“Well, there’s no question about that,” I said in response. I rested my hand on my abdomen, which hadn’t grown much in the six days since I discovered my pregnancy, if at all. I was almost three months now, sitting comfortably at eleven weeks. I was relatively small for how far along I was, according to Agnessa - just small enough for it to remain unnoticed to those who didn’t know. But of course, I knew, and I could feel that bump beneath my dress.

“He’s a good kid,” Haymitch told me, and then he went outside. Before I knew it, Prim was coming to fetch me for the ceremony. District Twelve weddings were generally very small and short, with a quick exchange of vows and wedding bands before we signed the documents that would legally declare us married. It was the toasting ceremony, which Peeta and I would do later that evening, that had more words to it. The vows consisted of us joining hands and promising to love and support one another through everything, in sickness and in health, and the works, and before we kissed, the mayor allowed me to perform the exchange of the tartan ceremony. Peeta didn’t have a tartan to give me, as he wasn’t Hebridean (or was he? I was quite suspicious of Mellie Mellark and her knowledge of Gàidhlig and the Hebridean wedding braids), so I simply removed the tartan cloth from around my neck and tied it around his.

“You are one with my family,” I told him in Gàidhlig, which of course, he didn’t understand, but I gave his hands a reassuring squeeze with an unspoken promise of explaining later. When the mayor declared us man and wife, Peeta sweetly took my face in his hands and kissed me in the most appropriate way he could possibly muster, which, in all honesty, probably wasn’t even all that appropriate - I hoped that Prim didn’t notice his tongue was practically down my throat! When we broke the kiss, he pressed his forehead against mine, holding me tightly in his arms.

“Hello, Mrs. Mellark,” he whispered to me, causing my insides to tingle, and I giggled lightly.

“Hello, Mr. Mellark,” I replied, my hands gripping onto his shoulders tightly. Afterwards, we went inside and signed all the documentation that stated the legality of our marriage, including a documentation of name change. I signed my name twice as Katniss Everdeen, once as Katniss Fòlais, as it was a former legal name, and then at the very bottom, I signed my name as Mrs. Katniss Mellark. We got to keep a copy of the marriage certificate, too, which read:

_ Peeta Mellark of District Twelve, Panem and Katniss Fòlais Everdeen of Uibhist, Hebridia were joined in matrimony on this day, the thirtieth of September in the year 2159. _

It was official. Peeta Mellark was my husband, and I was his wife, and in six months, we would welcome a new addition to our family. It was easy to forget, at least for the day, that we were still both victors of the Hunger Games and that our lives were so drastically unusual. I pretended that I was the huntress I was before marrying the youngest son of the baker, as if neither of us had ever been reaped. It was easy to think like that, with guests like Peeta’s parents and two brothers, his aunts and cousins, Agnessa and Prim and the Hawthorne family. The only guest that was missing was Gale, who refused to come, still believing that my love for Peeta was a fabrication of the Capitol, but I brushed that out of my mind, too. I would not be angry today, not on this happiest day of all days.

I met, for the first time, Peeta’s two aunts, Maidie Flipper and Ophelia Laurens. Maidie Flipper was the wife of the grocer in town and was Peeta’s mother’s sister, while Ophelia Laurens was the wife of the tailor and she was Peeta’s father’s sister. Evidently, Peeta’s father had also had a brother, who was reaped the year before Haymitch’s Games. Of course, he never came home. Everyone seemed to have a connection to someone who was reaped in District Twelve.

The night went on and we dined and feasted on a turkey I had shot the day before and cut the beautiful toasting cake that Peeta had baked and decorated with dandelions and hues of green and orange. It was the most delicious thing I had ever tasted and I greedily consumed three slices of it. “I’m eating for two, leave me be,” I reminded Peeta when he laughed as I claimed my third slice.

Towards the end of the night, I started getting quite tired and I stepped outside for a bit of air and a moment of peace. The night was beautiful - clear, cloudless and almost a full moon, slowly fading away into the new moon that would come in almost two weeks’ time. A chilly breeze picked up and I wrapped myself up in the Fòlais tartan, the salty scent of the Hebridean sea still embedded in its fibers even years later. I closed my eyes to the breeze, focusing on that, when I heard the door open and a set of footsteps approach me. I heard them stop beside me and I felt a warm hand on my lower back, and when I opened my eyes and looked to my right, my silver Hebridean eyes met the beautiful blue ones of my sweet Peeta. I smiled at him warmly and he took that as his cue to wrap his arms around me and hold me against his chest. “Getting ready to wind down?” he asked me.

“Can’t wind down yet... we still have a toasting to do,” I told him, burying myself in his arms. I took in his scent - cinnamon and dill, and a scent that was exclusive only to my Peeta that I couldn’t describe as anything but ‘Peeta’. “...plus we still have tonight.”

“If you’re tired, we don’t have to do anything like that,” he told me as he rubbed my back.

“Peeta, you’re too sweet, but have you thought about asking for things and not assuming I don’t want them?” I asked him, picking up my head and resting my chin on his chest to look at him. “Just because I’m tired doesn’t mean I don’t want you to take me tonight. I love all that we do... but I miss you.”

“But I’ve never left?”

“ _ Inside _ of me, Peeta.”

“...oh.”

“Yeah, oh.” I stood on my toes to give him a chaste kiss. “Can we? Tonight?”

“Is... is that okay? With the baby and all?”

“I don’t know, let’s ask her, shall we?” I pulled back and then exposed my barely-there abdomen from under the tartan, placing a hand over it and talking to it. “Is it okay if Daddy goes inside Mummy tonight?”

“Katniss!” Peeta hissed, and I laughed as he took me back into his arms.

“Peeta, it’s fine! The baby is in my womb and you can’t physically get in there. Don’t worry, we’ll be okay. Just don’t crush me.” He scoffed as he buried his lips in my hair.

“You think it’s a girl? What makes you think that?”

“I dunno... I just have a feeling, I guess. Call it mother’s intuition.” I lifted my head again to give him another kiss. “C’mon then, let’s go and tell everyone goodnight. We’ve got bread to toast.” We shared one final kiss out there on the back porch before we went inside together, thanking our guests and giving our goodbyes, and then we were on our way across the courtyard to the home that Peeta and I shared.

* * *

**PEETA POV**

* * *

I had baked the bread earlier in the day - raisin nut bread, the same bread that I had given her that day in the rain, when we were eleven. I set up the loaf on a tray with a serrated knife and two cups of piping hot chocolate for us to indulge ourselves on. My wife deserved the best, after all.

My wife. Katniss Everdeen was my wife. Katniss  _ Fòlais _ was my wife. All of my dreams since I was a young boy had finally come true, although certainly in ways I hadn’t expected. I dreamt of proposing to Katniss on the day of our last reaping, when we were finally safe forever from the arena. That kind of happened - I proposed to Katniss after we both came back from the same arena, destined to never return again. I dreamt of marrying Katniss in the town square, where all merchant families got married, showing off my beautiful wife to anyone who would look. Instead, I married her inside of her home in Victors’ Village in the company of our families and Haymitch, who has become our family. I dreamt that Katniss and I would bring children into the world who were loved and adored, at a time when we were both ready. That certainly didn’t happen - this little baby that was growing inside of her was a big surprise to us both, but that didn’t mean that it wouldn’t be loved any less.

I sat down in front of her, the two of us kneeling across from each other by the fireplace. The light of the fire reflected in both of our eyes, as well as off of the silver wedding bands that adorned each of our fingers. “Are you ready to toast?” I asked my wife, and she smiled warmly at me and nodded.

“Forgive me if I don’t know what I’m doing... I’ve never really learned how to perform a toasting. I never thought I’d have one,” she replied.

“Don’t worry, you’re only performing it once and that’s that,” I told her, taking her hands in mine and kissing them. I then cut the loaf of bread in half and we each took a piece of the half, sticking it on a toasting fork and holding them in the fire, allowing them to become toasted. When they were crisp enough, we removed them from the flames and held them in front of ourselves, locking our free hands together.

“Katniss... I have been in love with you for eight years now and my love for you has not diminished one bit. I have loved you ever since I heard you sing and the birds stopped to listen - I knew that that was the moment that I had fallen in love with you, and that I knew I was a goner. I didn’t care that you were Seam or a refugee and I was merchant... I just loved you for who you were. So my Katniss... with the toasting of this bread, I promise to love you for all of eternity, to care for you in sickness and in health, and to cherish every moment that we have together,” I said, reciting the toasting vows from memory. I may have practiced them a few times daydreaming of Katniss as a kid. She smiled warmly at my declaration of love for her and then she cleared her throat to speak.

“Peeta... oh, my sweet Peeta, how I wish I could say I’ve loved you just as long, but I can’t, because I didn’t know what love was. I had lost so much while so young that I hadn’t learned how to love with all my heart, but you showed me how. I can pinpoint the moment that I admitted to myself that I loved you, but the more I thought about it, the more I realised that I could pinpoint the moment that I actually fell in love with you, too. We were nine years old, and I had been pushed into a puddle by a lad from school. He mocked me because I wasn’t from Panem and because I hardly spoke English... and it was you who got me out of it. You gave me your hand and helped me to stand, not caring one bit if anyone saw you. I realised then that you were so kind to me not because you pitied me, but because you genuinely were kind, and that was the moment that I fell in love with you. Of course, I didn’t know it at the time... I wish I’d realised it sooner. Even if the Games didn’t happen to us... we would have happened anyway.” It was my turn to smile at her as she told me the story of when she first fell in love with me, and I was surprised to realise it was much earlier than either of us had thought. “Peeta... with the toasting of this bread...” She paused, trying to remember the vow.

“...I promise...” I whispered, helping her out.

“I promise... to love you for all of eternity, to... to care for you in... in sickness and in health...” She paused again, struggling to recall the words.

“...and to cherish...”

“...and to cherish each moment that we have together.” She gave my hand a squeeze, and then we each fed each other the warm, toasted bread on the toasting form before sharing a warm, passionate kiss. I took her beautiful face in my hands and kissed her several times, drawing her even closer to me and groaning with each and every kiss. When we finally came up for air, I pressed my forehead against hers and opened my eyes to meet her.

“You are officially my wife, in every sense,” I whispered to her.

“Not until you’ve taken me to bed,” she whispered back, and just at the mention of that, I could feel my pants tighten just a little, which she of course noticed. “Eager, aren’t we?”

“I’ll bet if I slipped my hand under that dress, I’d find you soaking wet for me.”

“Positively  _ dripping _ .” I shuddered at the thought.

“If you don’t stop teasing me, I’ll take you right here and not carry you to bed.”

“Mmmm, so take me to bed already, won’t you?” I took that as my cue, and I stood up and pulled her to stand with me, then swept her up off of her feet and into my arms, carrying her swiftly up the stairs as she giggled and held onto my neck.

“You are going to regret ever teasing me, Mrs. Mellark,” I warned her as I laid her on the bed.

“Shush and take my clothes off already,” she replied, clearly not taking me seriously.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” I replied back as I reached toward the back of her dress to unzip it. She shimmied out of it as I unbuttoned my shirt, leaving her in absolutely nothing. I paused to gape at her as she smirked playfully at me. “You... you weren’t wearing anything... underneath that?”

“Nope.”

“Katniss, we had  _ guests _ ! We had our  _ families _ around us!”

“Hence why I wanted to get out of there so quickly.” She reached for my neck to pull me into a kiss, but I resisted.

“Nope, you’re getting punished for teasing me.”

“Not too harshly, Peeta. I am carrying your child, after all.” I silenced her with a chaste kiss, then finished removing my shirt, leaving my pants on. “Clothes are forbidden on wedding nights, you know.”

“Unless the bride is misbehaving,” I teased. “Shh, you’ll get what you want soon, now hush up and accept your punishment.” I started kissing her neck first, my hand running slowly up her side, pausing just below her left breast. She raised her arm to accommodate me, but I slid my hand down her side instead, resulting in a groan of disapproval from Katniss.

“Peeta...” she moaned, and my hand climbed her side again and brushed her skin just under her breast before pulling away again. “Peeta, stop! Enough of this!”

“I’m going to make you feel so good, baby,” I whispered into her ear, taking her earlobe between my teeth and lightly sucking on it. “Trust me...”

“I trust you...” she said breathlessly. The third time I brought my hand up, I cupped her breast in my hand, teasing her nipple slightly with my thumb. “Oh, Peeta...” My thumb left her nipple and I pushed myself up, and she raised her chest, expecting me to latch onto her breast with my mouth, but I surprised her by positioning myself instead between her legs. “Peeta!”

“Shhh, trust me, honey...” I said, making sure to breathe out my words over the little bean that made her squirm.

“ _ Peeta Mellark! _ ” she hissed at me, and I chuckled gently.

“You’re not very patient, are you?” I asked her, and she growled at me in response. I kissed all around that little bean - her left inner thigh, her right inner thigh, just above it, just slightly to the left of it - and eventually, out of frustration, she raised her hips and bumped it into my mouth.

“ _ Enough _ , Peeta. I  _ need _ you,  _ now _ !” she growled at me.

“Say my name,” I said to her, running a finger just off to the side of her lips down below.

“ _ Peeta _ ,” she moaned.

“Tell me you love me.” This time, my finger circled around her little bean, but didn’t touch it.

“I love you, Peeta! Peeta...”

“And who are you and what are you to me?” I dipped my finger into her wetness, causing her to shudder beneath me.

“I’m Katniss... and I’m your wife,  _ oh _ ,” she moaned.

“Damn right you are,” I told her, placing a kiss on that little bean, causing her to writhe beneath me. Desperate to seek relief from my teasing, she raised her hands to her breasts and started teasing her own nipples. It was time to put this poor woman out of her misery and give her what she wanted. “I’m going to make you feel so good tonight, Katniss Mellark, and you’re going to enjoy every second of it.” She moaned quietly at my words, and then those moans increased in volume as I finally took that little bean in my mouth and started to suck on it. I flicked my tongue over it, teasing her again and again and kissing it as I slid two fingers into her at once.

“Peeta... Peeta, stop... I want you... inside me...” she breathed through her moans. I couldn’t hide the fact that I wanted to be inside of her as much as she wanted me there, so I pulled away from her and stood to properly undo my pants and slip out of them and my boxers at the same time, then crawled on top of her and lowered myself to kiss her. Tenderly, she wrapped her arms around me and ran her hand through my hair, meeting my eyes and giving me a smile.

“Are you ready?” I asked her in a whisper, and she nodded.

“I always will be for you,” she replied back. I kissed her one more time before I took myself in my hand and lined myself up at her entrance. I gave her one more chance to tell me to stop, even though I could see in her eyes how much she wanted it, before I began to push into her.

Like the first time, she groaned and grimaced, but this time, it wasn’t out of pain. This time, her face was scrunched up in pleasure, her mouth falling open and forming an ‘o’ as I pushed further and further into her. Once I was completely inside of her, I gave her a moment to adjust to my size, burying my face in her neck and kissing it. And then, we started moving together. Our groans and grunts became synchronised as we moved together, both of us thrusting against one another. I felt one of her hands tightly grip my hair and the other firmly held my shoulder, her arm wrapped tight around me, while one of my hands cradled her head and the other lifted her hips to provide a better angle for us both. “Oh, Peeta... Peeta...” she whispered into the night, like a tender lover.

“Katniss...” I whispered back, my lips buried behind her ear. “Oh, honey, I’m so close...”

“Let go,  _ m’eudail _ , I’ll catch you,” she told me tenderly, her lips brushing against my ear. I could feel the buildup of my release and I suddenly lost control, coming apart inside of her and letting out a loud moan to accompany my release. It took me only a moment to realise that she hadn’t had hers yet, so I took what little energy I had left to reach down and start running circles on that little bean until I felt her constrict around me, and then she, too, released a moan. Together, we lay in each other’s arms, my head resting on her chest and her legs and arms still wrapped tightly around me. I felt her gently stroking my hair between her fingers and I felt her lips on top of my head. “I love you, Peeta,” she whispered.

“I love you, too,” I whispered back, holding onto her tightly as she held me.

“Get some sleep,  _ mo ghaol _ . We’ve got the rest of our lives now.” I had already felt myself nodding off before she even said that, and with her permission, I closed my eyes and fell soundly asleep listening to the beat of her heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think Mrs. Mellark is hiding, and why is she hiding it? Is it the cause of the evident tension between herself and her sister?
> 
> Please review!


	6. The Bargain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katniss bargains for the future of her children.

* * *

**PEETA POV**

* * *

We were happy. Katniss and I were happily married, we were both keeping busy with our work during the day and I was being a doting husband and father-to-be as Katniss’s pregnancy progressed. I held her hair back when she threw up from nausea and made sure she was met with a cold glass of water when she was finished and I made sure to bake whatever it was she was craving, whether it was cheese buns or sugar cookies or even an entire cake. Emotionally, I supported her as she got bigger, too, because that definitely took a bit of a toll on her when she could no longer fit in her clothes.

“It’s normal, Katniss. You’re growing another human in you,” I told her as she fussed with the buttons of her midwifery uniform, which would no longer button up over her bump one chilly November morning.

“Can’t really hide it anymore, can I?” she asked me.

“Well, no, you’re almost five months pregnant, honey,” I told her, seated on the bed and watching her as she tried to adjust her dress in the mirror. She was struggling to button it up over her breasts as well, something I certainly didn’t fail to notice.

“It’s not... going past...” she said as she struggled, and then she gave up, leaving the top two buttons undone with a frustrated sigh. “Fuck it, they’re labouring mothers. I don’t have anything they don’t.”

“I’m really liking this change,” I said, taking note of how visible her breasts were now. She sent me a glare that she tried to keep angry, but she failed, resulting in a chuckle from us both. We weren’t really trying to hide her pregnancy to begin with, but I knew that a small part of my wife still wanted to think that she wasn’t going to have a baby. I got up and stood behind her, wrapping my arms around her and resting my hands on her bump, which was now quite obvious. I gently brushed my lips against her neck and she relaxed into me, then suddenly jumped and stared down at her stomach with frightened eyes. “Katniss, what’s wrong? What happened?” I asked her, tightening my grip on her. She put her hand on her stomach, then quickly pulled her hand away as if it had been burned. “Katniss, what?”

“It... it’s kicking...” she muttered, her eyes now somewhere on the floor. I moved my hand to where her hand had been and waited, and sure enough, I felt a movement under my hand, and I smiled.

“That’s our baby... It’s real, Katniss... This is incredible!”

“Incredibly selfish,” she said, and I stilled.

“Selfish?” I asked her.

“We shouldn’t be happy about this... If we bring a child into the world, we’ll be sending it straight to the arena,” she replied, and I sighed.

“Katniss, we talked about this. We knew what we were signing up for and-”

“I should have lied. I should have told him it was someone else’s, had it adopted by some Capitol family.”

“How can you say that?” I snapped, and she pulled from my arms to look at me.

“If this child was brought up in a Capitol home, they’d be safe!”

“Katniss, you’re not thinking clearly. Our child will be brought up loved and with good morals. Not out there in some rich, garish house wearing stupid clothes and eating food that we could only  _ dream _ of while the districts starve!”

“Those Capitol people don’t know what to think anymore than we do, Peeta! It’s how they were brought up!”

“They were brought up to hate us and bet on which of us will survive the longest! Katniss, how could you even  _ think  _ to send our child to live with people who think like that?”

“At least she wouldn’t be sent into the Games to either kill or be killed! We’re an anomaly, Peeta! What happened to us in our Games doesn’t happen to children from Twelve! And the year our child gets reaped, the careers will stop at nothing to kill our child!” She was in tears now, breathing heavily and backing herself up against the mirror in a clear panic attack. I took a deep breath.

“I know... but our child will be raised a good person. She won’t view the Games as entertainment, she won’t laugh as twenty-three kids get brutally murdered.”

“But she’ll live in fear knowing that one day, she’ll be in that arena fighting for her life!”

“Katniss,” I said, pulling her into my arms and holding her against my chest.

“We’ve been so selfish... I should have lied...”

“Honey, you did the right thing telling me about her. I would have never forgiven you if you’d done what you just said.”

“At least I’d be able to live with myself!” She pushed me away from her and stormed out of our bedroom, I following behind her.

“It would have been a decision you’d need me to agree to anyway, Katniss! What would you have done? Tell Snow it was Gale’s child? I would have fought that! I would have told the truth!”

“If it would protect her, yes.”

“You’d really rather our child brought up like all those people in the Capitol who laugh at us and are blind to all of our suffering that we have to endure? Who are blind to the fact that children here literally die of starvation every damn day?”

“She’d be alive, wouldn’t she? And she’d be safe!” I let out a sigh. Katniss wanted more than anything to protect our child - the one we made together - and was willing to go to any length possible, including having me hate her for the rest of our lives and including tearing her heart out by giving our child up. Who am I kidding? I couldn’t hate her, not ever. She was a mother and she was afraid, and all she wanted was to protect our baby. I dropped every ounce of my anger and pulled her into my arms again, holding her tightly as she tried to wriggle free until she gave up, her arms falling to her sides.

“No matter what, you are the best mother that Panem has ever seen... What’s done is done. It’s too late now and soon, our baby is going to be here and she’s going to be raised by us and she’s going to be loved by us, not anyone else. I know how scared you are... and I can assure you that I’m just as scared for our baby as you are. I can’t tell you I would have the same feelings or make the same decisions if I were you, but I do know that you and I will both love our baby more than anything and we will stop at nothing to protect her.” I kissed the side of her head. “I love you, Katniss... You’re not alone in this. Please remember that it’s not just you anymore.”

“I’m so sorry, Peeta... I’d never want to give up our baby. Not ever. I just want her to be safe...”

“Shhh, I know...” I held her tightly in my arms as she wrapped hers around me and we held each other in silence.

We resumed our life together as best as we could and we tried not to think about the fact that our child was destined to die in the arena. For a while, even the nightmares stopped plaguing us every night, but every so often, a nightmare involving a blonde-haired, grey-eyed little girl in the arena plagued our dreams. We were almost happy.

But happiness is often short-lived.

* * *

**KATNISS POV**

* * *

I was counting the weeks before the victory tour - five. There were five left. Five weeks until the world would know that I was pregnant and carrying the future of their entertainment. I would be six months pregnant by that point, and three months shy of bringing that baby into the horrible world that included the Hunger Games. On a particularly chilly day towards the end of November, I was washing some leftover dishes from breakfast when there was a knock at the door that startled me. Peeta had already gone out for the day and I didn’t have any other friends or family that would knock, so it startled me just a little. Turning off the water and drying my hands, I placed my hand protectively over my expanding abdomen and peered through the window - there were two peacekeepers outside. My stomach dropped; Snow found out.

Nervously, I went to answer the door, opening it to find the two peacekeepers without their helmets eyeing me suspiciously. “So the rumours are true,” said a middle-aged woman. “You’re needed this way.”

“Whatever for?” I asked her.

“I’m under orders to escort you to your own home, Miss Everdeen. Come right away,” the woman told me firmly.

“Well all right, just... let me slip a pair of shoes on, won’t you?” I asked, and the woman nodded as I stepped into a pair of Peeta’s shoes. My feet were quite swollen, so slipping my feet into my boots was out of the question. I descended the steps, the other peacekeeper taking my arm as I stepped off the bottom step. “I’m fine, thank you. I’m not an invalid,” I told him, and he let me go. I followed the two peacekeepers into my old home, where Agnessa stood in the doorway with a tray of tea and cookies that Peeta had decorated, a nervous expression on my face.

“Hello, Katniss,” she said to me. Agnessa and I were back to the way we were before - not close, but speaking to each other, and she’d backed off considerably since Peeta and I were married.

“He’s waiting for you,” said the female peacekeeper, and I glanced at her suspiciously as she led me to the study. She stepped aside, as if to guard the door, and gestured to me to go inside. I pushed open the door to the study and at the desk, seated and reading a book, was a very familiar snakelike face that made my blood run cold. The smell hit me first - roses mixed with blood, before the sight of President Snow registered on my mind. He held up a finger, as if asking me to hold for a moment, before he closed the book and looked straight at me, an evil smile on his face.

“Have a seat, Miss Everdeen,” he said, gesturing for me to sit down in front of him. “Or should I say Mrs. Mellark? Congratulations on your marriage.”

“Thank you,” I said as politely as I could muster, having a seat in front of him and never breaking eye contact. He had yet to mention the elephant in the room that was my pregnancy.

“How are you and Mr. Mellark been since you returned from your Games? Well, I assume?” he asked me, trying to make small talk.

“Well as we can be,” I replied.

“Really? No hard feelings about anything?” I shook my head, and he chuckled menacingly. “Mrs. Mellark, I believe things will go a lot smoother if we agree not to lie to each other.”

“I think that would save time,” I replied. “Very well. I fear for my future, and for the future of my child, of which I am well aware you know exists.”

“Victors are supposed to notify their escorts when they are expecting, Mrs. Mellark.”

“I was never given the rule book, I’m afraid.” He chuckled again.

“I suppose you weren’t expecting to have to when you and Mr. Mellark created this little... accident, yes?” I instinctively raised a hand to my belly. “Children are a blessing, Mrs. Mellark, and you have my sincerest congratulations. But... I am dissatisfied with your behaviour.”

“I was warned of that, yes.”

“Not in the Games. No, that dissatisfaction I am willing to look past... if you can help me.”

“Help you?”

“You see, Mrs. Mellark, the districts didn’t see your stunt with the berries as the act of love that it was... they viewed it as an act of rebellion. Defying the Capitol, if you will, and it has created a bit of... unrest. As you can imagine, I am not happy about that. You see, we have a very careful system in place.”

“It must be a fragile system if it can be disrupted by a handful of berries.” President Snow chuckled again.

“Mrs. Mellark, you are quite amusing company, and quite sharp. It is very refreshing. Most people that I have in my company tend to only nod their heads in agreement when I speak.”

“I can’t imagine why.”

“The Victory Tour is coming up. You and Mr. Mellark have defied the wishes of the people of the Capitol and have had a wedding in private. That will not do. Tonight, a camera crew will film a staged engagement between you and Mr. Mellark, and in the Capitol at the end of the Victory Tour, you will have a grand Capitol wedding.”

“What about the baby?”

“Your unfortunate circumstance will tug on the heartstrings of the people of the Capitol.” He paused for a moment. “And in addition to that, you will pacify each of the districts as you stop at each on the Victory Tour. We cannot have any unrest. Many of them do not believe your desperation to save Mr. Mellark to be true.”

“It’s very true.”

“Is that so? My dear Mrs. Mellark, I know about the kiss between yourself and your ‘cousin’.” I had to hide the snort that threatened to escape from my throat.

“Surely? Then you’d know I slapped him when he threw himself on me. I can assure you, President Snow, that the romance between myself and my husband is very real.”

“The districts don’t believe it to be so. So you  _ will _ convince them.”

“And if we fail?”

“Then I will ensure that every eligible member of your family will be reaped, and accidents will be arranged for the families of yourself and Mr. Mellark. Including your ‘cousins’.” My breath caught in my throat and my eyes widened slightly, but I refused to let this man - this  _ monster _ \- see my fear.

“You may get better results with a bargain,” I told him, and he raised his eyebrows, intrigued by my words.

“Mrs. Mellark, I do not bargain, however, I am willing to listen to your proposal.” I had to think quickly. What could I say that would get Snow to agree? Oh, how I wish I had Peeta with me.

“Spare my child from the reaping,” I spit out firmly. “Ensure that my child never be reaped and I will do  _ everything _ that I possibly can to pacify the districts.”

“Victors’ children in the Games often bring in more revenue, Mrs. Mellark.”

“President Snow, you know as well as I do that as far as my child is concerned, I’ll have nothing to lose. If I fail to pacify the districts, you will ensure my child is reaped and killed in the Games. If I do not agree to pacify the districts, my child will die anyway along with me. Agree to spare my child and I will do anything possible to pacify the districts. You have my word.” The menacing smile on his face was enough to make my skin crawl.

“I will agree to this bargain, Mrs. Mellark, and will spare any future children that you and Mr. Mellark have - and there  _ will _ be more. It is a requirement for Victors who are married to have at minimum, three children.” My stomach dropped just a little, but I held firm.

“Very well, all of my children spared from the reaping and I’ll do whatever you want me to do to pacify the districts.” I paused for a moment. “And my sister, too.”

“I will not agree to another bargain. You must choose, Mrs. Mellark. Either your children are spared, your sister, or neither. No exceptions. I can guarantee that the reaping will not be rigged against your sister, so long as I am satisfied with your behaviour, but I will not spare her in addition to your children.” I had to think quickly. If Prim were spared, I’d have to someday watch one or more of my children die in the arena, pretty much guaranteed. If my children were spared, there was still a chance that Prim would not be reaped. I had to take that chance, no matter how slim it was, that everyone I loved would be safe from the reaping.

“Then I choose my children,” I told him, and he gave me a smirk.

“Excellent decision, Mrs. Mellark.”

“So convince the districts that Peeta and I are madly in love and that the berries were  _ not _ and act of rebellion and you will spare my children from the reaping.”

“Convincing the districts won’t be enough, Mrs. Mellark. You must convince  _ me. _ I will see you in the Capitol for your wedding. Give my regards to Mr. Mellark for me.” He got up and exchanged one final look with me before he made his way out of my old house, and I remained seated. The districts were unhappy... a rebellion was in the air. But the lives of my child, and the future children that I would inevitably have, were at stake. I couldn’t go into the Victory Tour with Peeta having no idea what he was walking into. I rushed to the bakery as quickly as my swollen feet would take me and surprised him when he came out of the kitchen to see me standing there out of breath.

“Katniss!” he exclaimed, rushing out from behind the counter to meet me. “Honey, what are you doing? It’s cold outside and you’re not wearing a coat! Are those my shoes? What’s happening?” he fussed, grabbing his coat from off the hook behind the counter and wrapping it around my shoulders.

“Peeta, we need to talk,” I told him, ignoring the coat and grabbing his face in my hands to press a kiss to his lips. After spending time around the nauseating scent of roses, I needed to be closer to him and take in his scent. “It’s very important. Please, Peeta.”

“Okay, okay, we’ll talk. Just give me a second, all right?” he asked me, and I nodded as he gave me a chaste kiss and went back behind the counter. “Mom, Katniss and I need to do something important but she came here without shoes. Can she borrow a pair of yours?”

“Came without shoes?” Mellie exclaimed from the kitchen before she appeared in the doorway wagging a finger at me. “Are you trying to catch your death? Mark my words, girl, if anything happens to that child-”

“ _ Mom _ . Shoes,” Peeta said, and Mellie waved him off and disappeared back into the kitchen, and Peeta took my arm and led me into the kitchen to sit down at the table as Mellie came downstairs holding a pair of shoes. Peeta took his beaten up shoes off of my feet as Mellie came to bend down beside him.

“They’re a bit big for you but judging by the state of your feet, that won’t be a problem,” Mellie said neutrally. “Are you getting any rest? You shouldn’t be on your feet so much or they’ll swell up to the size of logs!”

“Mom, I’ll make sure she rests, okay? This is very important,” Peeta said, standing up and helping me to stand. “I’m gonna take her home after, I’ll come back tomorrow.” He bent down to kiss his mother on the cheek, an action that seemed to surprise them both, Mellie more so than Peeta, who pretended nothing happened and led me out of the bakery. He’d wrapped his own coat as tightly around me as he could, which only worked because of my protruding abdomen, and he led me to the meadow.

“Peeta, won’t you get cold?” I asked him as we walked across the meadow together to the rock.

“I’m not worried about me, I’m worried about you,” he said as he sat me down on the rock, and he knelt down in front of me. “You came in looking white as a sheet. What happened?”

“Funny you mention white,” I choked. “Peeta, he knows. Snow knows, about our marriage and the baby. He came to visit and he was in the study at Agnessa’s house and he told me that we have to have a big Capitol wedding at the end of the Tour and tonight, there’s going to be camera crews and you have to propose to me.”

“Katniss, honey, slow down, shh, shh...” He took my hands and gave them a tight squeeze. “Snow knows. We have to get married in the Capitol, despite already being married. I have to propose to you. That doesn’t seem impossible, Katniss. We can do all of that! What are you really worried about?”

“Well... It’s a lot more complicated than that...” I let out a sigh, finally calming down as I held Peeta’s hands in mine, which were quite cold, and I told him the rest. As I told him about the districts’ reaction to the berries and what would happen if we failed to pacify them, his face paled, and then I told him about my bargain with Snow.

“You asked him to spare our child?”

“Children,” I corrected him. “He says... he says we have to have more... But he wouldn’t spare Prim. Peeta, what if I didn’t save her? What if she gets reaped?”

“She won’t. According to Effie, the Capitol is in love with her, they won’t do anything to hurt her.”

“They love her because I volunteered to protect her, because she’s innocent and childlike. Peeta, when our baby is born, the Capitol is going to look to that child as my egg to protect.”

“Our child  _ is _ your egg to protect, Katniss. You’re her mother. You’re not Prim’s mother. You know as well as I do how furious with you Prim would be if you’d chosen to have her spared from the reaping over your children. She’d never forgive you.”

“I know... Peeta, I feel so, so horrible.” I felt tears stinging my frozen face and Peeta’s warm thumb wiping them away.

“It’ll be okay... Honey, our children are safe! There’s nothing to fear. Prim won’t get reaped and she’s going to grow up and start a family of her own and our children will never, ever have to see the inside of an arena.”

“So long as we prevent an uprising.”

“And we will. We’ll do whatever it takes to prevent an uprising because it means our children will be safe.” He then stood and pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly against his chest and resting his chin on my shoulder. “...even if there should be an uprising,” he whispered into my ear.

“Peeta, no! Don’t say that!” I hissed, pulling away from him. “After all I’ve done, don’t you  _ dare _ put my bargain with Snow on the line! I never want to hear you say that again!”

“I’m sorry...” He let out a sigh, then pulled me into his arms again to hold me. “If we do this, our children will be safe... so let’s do it.”

“We’ve got to be getting back soon,” I told him. “The prep teams will be here soon... and you’ve got a proposal to plan.”

“Shall I buy you flowers and chocolates? Throw flower petals all over the ground?” He gasped. “I don’t have a ring! I didn’t think you’d want anything that the Capitol would expect for an engagement ring!”

“Here, just take my wedding band,” I told him, pulling back from the embrace and removing the silver band from my finger, placing it in his hand.

“What? No! You’re not supposed to take that off!”

“You’re putting it back on anyway, my love. I never wanted an engagement ring anyway. I don’t need a ring to remind me how much you love me.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. “Let’s get back, before you freeze to death, you poor thing.”

* * *

**PEETA POV**

* * *

I’d already proposed once so I thought this planned proposal was stupid. Everything about it would look staged - but I had to make it look real, for her. For my little girl. Katniss found a way for our daughter - yes, we’d taken to calling her our daughter, even though we didn’t know the gender - to stay out of the arena, but it would require a lot of convincing. I had to make this proposal look real, or else our attempts to convince the districts that we weren’t trying to start a rebellion wouldn’t work.

We really weren’t trying to start a rebellion. I didn’t know Katniss’s thoughts, but my thoughts were that I was going to die either way. She could have waited for me to eat the berries, or she could have killed me, but she didn’t. She’d wanted to die with me and she refused to leave that arena without me. How could it not have been an act of love? If I could convince myself, convincing the entire nation shouldn’t be too difficult. Even if it was, it didn’t matter, because I was going to do it for the future of my daughter.

I decided to forgo any flowers or chocolates. I’d simply meet her at the fountain, start babbling on about how she turns me into a lovesick fool, and then get down on one knee and pop the question. I did it before, so I could make this look real easily. And I did. Katniss’s shocked expression for the cameras was so good, even I forgot for a moment that we were already married. Caesar Flickerman was practically pissing himself with excitement once he saw that Katniss was pregnant and that we were engaged. Now, all we had to do was face the rest of Panem and put on the same act.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will Snow keep up his end of the bargain? Will Katniss and Peeta manage to pacify the districts?
> 
> Please review!


	7. The Victory Tour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katniss and Peeta go on the Victory Tour, where they tour each of the districts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are a lot of names mentioned of previous victors. I’m not saying remember them, but I am saying keep them in mind ;)
> 
> If you’ve read ‘Our Anthem’ then many of them will be familiar. And before you ask, yes, I planned out a detailed timeline that includes what district won each year and have named most of those victors. Yes, I am clinically insane.

* * *

**KATNISS POV**

* * *

It was Yule now, at the end of December, and festivities were being celebrated across the district. District Twelve was in for the best Yule they’d had since Haymitch won his games, thanks to Parcel Day, so families would finally get to have the feasts that our ancestors used to have. Yule in the Mellark household was very cozy, compared to what it had been in the Everdeen home. We’d invited both my family and all of Peeta’s family to dine with us - his parents, his brother, Rye, his brother, Christos, and his new wife, Aaricia, his Aunt Maidie and Uncle Archer, his cousin, Alice, and her eight-month-old daughter, Bella. His other aunt couldn’t make it this time, as she was with her husband’s family, but that was all right with us, considering how full our home was. We’d also invited the Hawthornes to come, but they declined, stating that they wanted to have a Yule dinner in their home with Cascade, Gale’s aunt and my fellow district midwife.

“Do you do any Hebridean Yule traditions, Katniss?” Maidie had asked me, pulling me aside halfway into the evening.

“Yule sort of is a Hebridean celebration, isn’t it?” I asked her. It was true, although there were some things that we did in Hebridia that we didn’t do in Panem, such as give each other gifts and the burning of a rowan twig to dismiss any bad feelings between guests.

“A lot of holidays we celebrate are Hebridean, I believe. Yule, the running of the wreaths, Hogmanay... My mother used to love celebrating Hogmanay.”

“Hogmanay?” I asked. “But that’s banned here! I haven’t celebrated that since I lived in Hebridia!”

“Our mother still celebrated it. Mine and Mellie’s.” She glanced across the room at her sister, who could be seen sitting on the sofa awkwardly beside her husband, who was chatting away with their youngest son.

“Are... are you Hebridean?” I asked Maidie, who smiled and nodded.

“Our mother was from Skye,” she told me.

“But... Mellie _hates_ refugees. She hates everything Hebridean. If she’s Hebridean, how can she hate her own people?”

“You know as well as I do how Hebridean children are treated. It wasn’t any different when we were young. But of course, that didn’t stop me from being proud of my culture. Her, on the other hand... well, I don’t know her reasons,” Maidie told me. I stood against the wall, my eyes on Mellie, when she turned her head and met my eyes. I could see then her Hebridean features - the Celtic nose, the red in her hair, the stormy grey colour of her eyes. She then turned away, her eyes darting to the floor, hiding the brief flash of shame that I saw dance across her eyes.

Peeta suddenly got up and crossed the room to me, having noticed his mother and I locking eyes, and wrapped a protective arm around my waist. “Is my Aunt Maidie giving you a hard time?” he asked me, giving his aunt an affectionate smile.

“She was asking me about Hebridean Yule traditions,” I told him, relaxing into his arms, and he gave me a kiss on the cheek.

“Are you two ready for the Victory Tour?” Maidie asked us.

“As ready as we can be... Big Capitol wedding that we can’t invite our family to? Looking forward to it,” Peeta replied as cheerfully as he could.

“Peeta, it’s all right,” I said.

“It must be exciting. I’ve heard the Capitol is quite the sight,” said Maidie.

“It really is,” said Peeta.

“We want our baby born there,” I said, mindful of the cameras. I knew Snow would be listening, especially since we were talking about the Victory Tour. Peeta stiffened behind me and I turned my head to kiss his jaw, meeting his eyes and silently reminding him of the microphones. He then glanced up at his aunt and nodded.

“Yes... we do,” he said without emotion.

“Oh, that’s... interesting,” Maidie replied. Of course we didn’t want our daughter born in the Capitol, but Peeta and I were past trying to make our lives our own. Our lives now belonged to Snow, and if we stepped out of line, our children would pay the ultimate price.

Not long after Yule, I found myself trying to go out for a walk in the woods. I was having difficulty with my pregnant belly being in the way of my bow, so I’d decided to stop hunting until the baby was born, but that didn’t stop me from wanting to take walks in the woods. It was a Friday, and the snow had piled high - high enough for the mines to close, a fact that I had forgotten, and I was surprised when I saw Gale’s form checking one of his snares. When he heard my footsteps in the snow - heavier now, thanks to the added weight of the baby - he turned to look at me, his eyes widening with surprise.

“Hello, Gale,” I said, hoping he didn’t notice my very obviously swollen abdomen, but he did, and he narrowed his eyes at me.

“‘I’m never getting married’. ‘I’m never having children’. What else has that townie changed about you?” he spat at me with venom, and I then narrowed my eyes at him.

“ _Peeta_ has changed nothing about me. I didn’t want children, but this was... a surprise, to say the least,” I told him.

“A surprise, huh? Last time we talked, you said you weren’t fucking him. It’s obvious now that you were,” he spat back.

“One time, before our marriage, and that was during the Games when we both thought we were going to die!” I hissed at him. “I was going to have to do it anyway - have children. Snow demands that of married victors.”

“It could have been us.”

“No, it couldn’t have. It never would have been. Peeta and I... We would have happened anyway. I _know_ we would have. Gale, if you can’t be happy for me, then... I don’t know. I guess we can’t be friends.”

“You gave up our friendship a long time ago.”

“Oh, because I fell in love? With someone that isn’t you? You’re not entitled to me, Gale. I owe you nothing! Don’t open your mouth and don’t speak to me again.” I stared at him, the hurt evident in my eyes. “Goodbye, Gale.” I turned on my heel and left, fighting the urge to cry. I wanted to run to Peeta’s warm and comforting arms, but I didn’t want to talk about or even think about Gale anymore - it hurt too much. I took a moment to compose myself before passing back through the fence, returning to the new life that I was living without looking back.

The Victory Tour started about two weeks after Yule, after the New Year had rung in 2160, and Peeta and I braced ourselves for what we would have to face.

* * *

**PEETA POV**

* * *

I wasn’t happy about our situation at all, but I understood what needed to be done. If Katniss and I didn’t blindly worship the Capitol, our children would be in danger, and even though my daughter wasn’t even born yet, I loved her more than anything in the world and I would do anything to protect her, even if it meant going against everything I believed in. Even if it meant changing who I was. Snow really found a way to make me - and Katniss - a piece in his games after all. He’d broken us beyond repair. As I lay in bed on the train, Katniss cradled in my arms, I couldn’t sleep as I realised that my life was no longer mine, and it hurt to think like that.

My life would be different if Katniss and I weren’t together, or if our baby didn’t exist. God, how could I think such horrible things? I loved Katniss and I loved our child, and they both needed me now more than ever. I rolled over to look at my sleeping wife, her head resting on my chest and her hand resting on her stomach, cradling our baby. I reached out a warm hand and placed it over hers, protecting both the love of my life and my child.

It was so easy to forget how young we were. We were sixteen years old still, and already, we lived as if we were thirty. I would be turning seventeen in about a month, and Katniss wouldn’t even be seventeen until May. We were just kids, and we held the weight of the world on our shoulders. We were just kids, and we were having a kid of our own. It sickened me to think how our youth was ripped away from us by Snow and the Capitol. If Katniss weren’t pregnant, or if I could find a way to get Katniss and the baby far away from Panem, I would start a rebellion myself.

Suddenly, I felt Katniss’s hand stir beneath mine and I realised I had squeezed her hand quite firmly, and I loosened my grip before letting her hand go. Her head shifted next, and her silvery eyes fluttered open as her hand moved to my chest, rubbing gentle circles on it. “Hey...” she whispered sleepily. “Are you all right? Did you have a nightmare?”

“I couldn’t sleep,” I replied, staring at the ceiling instead of meeting her eyes.

“Are you okay?” she asked again, and I glanced down at her and gave her a reassuring smile, placing my hand over hers.

“Yeah... The train’s giving me motion sickness,” I lied, and she could tell instantly that it was a lie, but she didn’t say anything. She only nodded, then removed her hand from under mine to take mine in hers and bring it to her lips.

“We’ve got a long day tomorrow... Try to get some sleep, if you can,” she told me.

“I will,” I whispered back, pressing my lips to her forehead. A moment of silence passed between us before I spoke again. “You know I love you, right, Katniss?”

“Of course I do, Peeta, and I love you, too. What’s the matter?”

“And you know I’d do everything I can to protect you and our baby, right?”

“I know, Peeta, and I’d do the same. We protect each other. Peeta, my love, talk to me. What’s on your mind?”

“I just wanted to make sure you knew... I guess I can’t shake the feeling that I’m going into the Games again, and I have this constant feeling that something’s gonna happen.”

“Nothing’s going to happen now, Peeta. We’re safe, and we’re together.” That was a lie, that we were safe.

“I know...” That was a bigger lie. Another moment of silence.

“We’re getting to the point where we need to think of a name for our little girl...”

“Isn’t the Capitol gonna run some naming contest? Like they did with your wedding dress?”

“I don’t know... all I know is I want us to have the privilege of giving our beautiful girl a name. What do you have in mind?”

“I don’t know... I’ve always liked the name Lark. Larks were the birds that stopped to listen to you sing the day I fell in love with you.”

“You want to call our daughter ‘Lark Mellark’?” I chuckled a little, recognising the rhyme.

“I like it. Little Lark Mellark...”

“I like it, too. What’ll you think she’ll be like?”

“Strong, like you, and beautiful like you, too. I hope she looks just like you with your beautiful brown hair and silver eyes... Basically, I hope she’s just like you.”

“I’m not cloning myself, Peeta. She has to have a bit of you in her, too,” she teased. “I hope she has your heart... No one has ever loved so wholly and unconditionally as you, and I want her to someday find someone to make her happy the way you make me happy.” I kissed her forehead again and wrapped my arms around her even tighter.

“She’s gonna be the most beautiful girl in all of Panem,” I whispered to her. We dozed off eventually, both of us falling into a dreamless sleep as we cradled each other with our baby safe between us.

* * *

**KATNISS POV**

* * *

The first stop of the Victory Tour was District Eleven, the agriculture district. When we arrived, it was almost shocking to see how drastically different it was from District Twelve. It was warmer, larger, lighter in colour, and felt like a labour camp more than anything. The fence was high and heavily guarded and the gate towered over the District, visible from any part and always looming off in the distance. Peeta and I were being prepped separately before our speech, and my prep team could not get over my pregnant belly.

“It’s just so sweet! This baby is going to be so beautiful!” Octavia, one member of my prep team, was saying.

“Oh, Katniss, it’ll be a perfect combination of you and Peeta! With your beautiful complexion and his handsome face, there’s no reason this baby won’t be the little darling of Panem!” Venia chimed in, and I could only smile and nod at them. For the sake of my child, I hope they never met her. I was dressed in a wheat yellow dress that really emphasised my baby bump, which made me feel just a little uncomfortable, and I tried to find a coat that I could wear over myself that would hide it just a little.

“...and to think that we’re being treated like prisoners!” I heard Effie shout, and her form soon followed her voice into the room. “Katniss, dear, are you ready to go?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I answered her, trying to position the jacket over my bump nervously. I could see the expression on Effie’s face in the mirror change, and through her Capitol makeup, I could see that she was worried for me. She took a few steps towards me and started to adjust the jacket over my bump.

“You’re so strong, Katniss,” she whispered to me, taking my hands and giving them a reassuring squeeze. She was giving me what must have been a genuine smile hiding under all that makeup, and I couldn’t help but smile back. I could tell Effie wasn’t a fan of sending children to their deaths every year, and she was likely just as afraid of Snow’s wrath as the rest of us were. And suddenly, as if flipping a switch, she let go of my hands and turned on her heel. “Now, come along, dear! We’re on a tight schedule!”

Peeta met me by the doors of the train just as we were about to exit onto the platform of District Eleven and he took my hand to give it a firm squeeze. “You ready?” he asked me, and when I gave him a nod, he pressed a chaste kiss to my lips and the train doors opened, the two of us descending down onto the platform together and being met by flashbulbs and Capitol reporters.

“Katniss Everdeen! How far along are you in your pregnancy?”

“Star-Crossed Lovers, look this way!”

“How does it feel to be an expectant father, Mr. Mellark?”

The questions bombarded us, but Effie shuffled us along as the peacekeepers kept back the crowds. Peeta’s grip on my hand was firm and he refused to let go, even as I struggled to keep up with him on the golden heels on my feet. They were incredibly difficult to walk in, given their height as well as the fact that my feet were swollen from my pregnancy. We were ushered almost immediately onto the stage, but were pulled aside first by Haymitch.

“All right. Things ain’t what they’re like in Twelve here. Stick to the cards, and everything will be okay,” Haymitch told us. “And remember, don’t forget to mop the floor with that romance shit y’all got goin’ on. Tug on them heartstrings.”

“Thanks, Haymitch,” Peeta said, and then we shared a brief glance before we, hand in hand, exited the doors of the Justice Building and stood on the makeshift stage.

“Smile, you’re on camera,” Effie whispered to us as she ushered us out. Before us were easily thousands of people - the District was huge, after all. It made me even more nervous, but Peeta’s grip on my hand was firm as he glanced down at the cards in his hands. He’d spent the majority of the day before memorising the cards so it didn’t look as if he were reading off of them. 

“Citizens of District Eleven,” he began. “We want to express our deepest gratitude for the warm welcome that we have been given.” There was silence - no warm welcome. These people were eyeing us like pieces of meat. “We also wish to give our sincerest sympathy to your fallen tributes, Rue Warren and Thresh Sellers. Thresh was strong and clever, and Rue was sweet and incredibly resourceful, and she was a great help to Katniss in the arena.” He paused for a moment, and when I looked at his face, he met my eyes, silently asking for permission to deviate from the cards. In his peripheral vision, he could see my hand make its way to my belly to rest on it, and the expression in his eyes changed and he looked forward again. “We are eternally grateful to the Capitol for allowing us the privilege of being able to have both won the Games. Katniss and I found ourselves struck by the most unfortunate of circumstances, having fallen in love and having both been reaped. The Capitol has given us the blessing of a life together, and we are privileged to announce that we are expecting an addition to our new family in early Spring.” He paused again, and I took this moment to analyse the crowd. On the platforms beneath banners with Thresh and Rue’s faces were their families - Thresh’s had his mother and sister, both tall and strong, and Rue’s had a lone mother with four young children, all too young to be reaped. It was this poor mother’s - poor Mrs. Warren’s - first reaping as a mother, and she lost her child. Mr. Warren was nowhere to be seen, and I could have sworn I recalled Rue mentioning her father in the arena. Peeta cleared his throat one more time. “Thank you, and once again, we are honoured and privileged to be standing here before you. Panem today, Panem tomorrow, Panem forever.”

With that said, he began to turn, tugging on my hand to pull me back into the justice building. I had locked eyes with Rue’s image on the banner, wanting so badly to say something, but knowing that anything I had to say could tear down everything that I had worked so hard to build up. A little kick inside of my womb reminded me that I had another life to protect, one that was helpless and needed me to survive, so I followed Peeta back into the justice building without uttering a word.

After the speech, we toured the district, being led by the surviving District Eleven Victors - Seeder Palmer from the 33rd Games, Chaff Lemell from the 45th Games and Cytherea Lewes from the 54th Games (District Eleven had also won the 5th Games, but that victor had passed away before Peeta and I were even born) - and for the first time, I got to see the orchards and wheat fields that Rue had spoken so highly of. Afterwards, we had dinner at the home of the mayor of District Eleven and we were interviewed and photographed some more before we were finally ushered back onto the train. As soon as Peeta and I were alone in our room, I collapsed into his arms, holding onto him tightly as he rubbed my back. “It’s okay... We did okay,” he whispered into my ear. “We only have to do this ten more times...”

Ten more times. I didn’t know how I would survive.

District Ten was much the same - we gave a speech, we kissed onstage for the cameras, we toured the district with the the District Ten Victors - Parker Poole of the 26th Games, Rufus Ripley of the 44th Games, Shelley Dunn of the 66th Games (she actually won the year I came to Panem in 2151 and I remember her victory tour), and Rodney Fuller of the 72nd Games (District Ten also had the privilege of having the first ever victor of the Hunger Games, but they died a very long time ago) - and Peeta and I, for the first time, saw cows. _Panem today, Panem tomorrow, Panem forever._

District Nine was no different - speech, kisses, interviews, photographs, dinner with the mayor, tour of the expansive wheat fields by their surviving victors - Pascasia Mazarinne of the 39th Games, Lalla Addison of the 42nd Games and Benedict Albion of the 56th Games. _Panem today, Panem tomorrow, Panem forever._

District Eight was, you guessed it, the same. We spoke, we kissed, we interviewed, we were photographed, we dined with the mayor and his family, we toured the clothing factories of the urban district along with District Eight’s victors - Woof Darwin of the 28th Games, Zosia Verity of the 49th Games and Cecelia Ember (and her three children) of the 60th Games. At dinner with the mayor, I couldn’t help but pull Cecelia Ember aside. “What’s it like, knowing your children will likely be reaped?” I asked her quietly.

“I try not to think about it,” the older woman confessed. “I give them as much love as I can and hope I get lucky.” _Panem today, Panem tomorrow, Panem forever._

District Seven was interesting, to say the least. I really liked how wooded it was, but of course, I wasn’t allowed to just run off into the woods. We toured the district along with the District Seven Victors - Blight Duluth of the 51st Games and Johanna Mason of the 71st Games. Johanna was the closest to our age yet, but she was certainly not overly friendly. She was quiet and didn’t speak much to me, but she and Peeta seemed to get on well, so much so that I tightly gripped his arm to remind him that I was by his side.

“Oh, relax, Brainless. I’ve got no use for bread boys,” she told me with a snide laugh, but my grip on Peeta’s arm was relentless. Johanna Mason had won her Games by pretending to be frightened and shy and helpless before proving to be the deadly killer that she was with her axe, resulting in her win. She was a fearsome thing to behold, and her fire reminded me a lot of Gale’s. _Panem today, Panem tomorrow, Panem forever._

District Six was the transportation district, so we were shown the factories that made the hovercrafts, the trains and the Capitol cars. We met their surviving victors - Laurel Andrews of the 18th Games, Ellorah Harpernet of the 47th Games, Lily Taupe of the 58th Games and John Sellers of the 69th Games (both Lily and John seemed absolutely fried from years of morphling abuse, and what made that even more sad was that John Sellers’ Games weren’t all that long ago). We dined with their mayor and his family, and then we were shuffled along to the next district. _Panem today, Panem tomorrow, Panem forever._

District Five - Foxface’s District - was the district of electricity, so we toured a power plant along with District Five’s victors - Dawn Fodor of the 29th Games, Eddie Barker of the 43rd Games, Odeon Avisdee, a very proud man, of the 55th Games, Imogene Walker of the 67th Games and Clarabella Dustin of the 68th Games. I learned that Clarabella Dustin was actually Foxface’s - or rather, Finch’s, older sister, and she was trying her best to be friendly.

“Just know that I don’t blame you,” Clarabella told us firmly. “She was clever - too clever for her own good. She could have won easily.”

“Yes, she really could have,” I agreed with her. Dawn Fodor, evidently, had had a child in the Games the year Haymitch had won, and she patted my shoulder affectionately without saying a word.

“Her daughter was very clever, but she couldn’t outsmart eight careers. They ganged up on her, and that year, one of the male careers, well... I don’t even wanna say it. It was too horrible. He was killed by the Gamemaker because of it,” Haymitch had told us on the train. I didn’t bother to ask for more details. _Panem today, Panem tomorrow, Panem forever._

District Four was by far my favourite district to visit because it had the ocean. As soon as I stepped off the train, wearing a turquoise blue dress that fell loosely to my knees, I closed my eyes and I smelled the ocean air, being brought back to memories of Hebridia. I remembered running the rocks with my brothers and friends. I remembered sailing out into the Paible Harbour to check the crab and lobster traps with my father. I could remember diving down to the bottom of the sea to fetch a trap that had had its line cut. I could remember feeling the salty breeze in my hair. District Four was warmer than Hebridia by considerable standards, but it was the closest that I had ever come to home, and the closest that I would ever come to home again. I’d probably never get to see District Four again after this, unless Peeta and I managed to get another tribute to win.

We met the victors of District Four - Mags Flanagan of the 11th Games (the oldest victor we’d met yet), Sebastian Creole of the 19th Games, Oceana Spritz (I know - what a name) of the 34th Games, Chase Winters of the 59th Games, Finnick Odair (the famous Finnick Odair) of the 64th Games, and Annie Cresta of the 70th Games. Annie Cresta was shy and Mags Flanagan didn’t really speak, but I soon found out why. As soon as Mags heard my Hebridean accent, she smiled and pulled me into an embrace.

“Long live Hebridia,” she whispered into my ear in Gàidhlig, and I knew straight away that the reason she didn’t speak much was because she didn’t understand English. Perhaps, long ago, there was a time when learning English wasn’t forced on refugees. I learned that Mags was also born in Uibhist, but had come to Panem as a child, same as me, only younger. Her sister had been born in the District, therefore make her eligible for the reaping (apparently back then, the president at the time didn’t require refugees to participate in the reaping, which was why Mags, a Hebridean-born child, was not eligible but her sister, a Panem-born child, was), and her sister’s name had been reaped for the 11th Hunger Games, and also like me, Mags had volunteered for her sister and won. She didn’t tell me how she won her Games, and I didn’t ask.

“Charming, how you’re able to communicate with Mags,” said Finnick Odair, surprising me. “You’re Hebridean, too, correct?” He had been the youngest victor to ever win the Games at fourteen, and was also known to be one of the most sensual.

“I am, born and bred,” I replied coolly, eyeing him suspiciously. He was circling me like a shark did it’s prey.

“Yet raised under the clouds of coal dust of District Twelve. You must have missed the clean, salty air of the sea,” he told me.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t. Hebridia was colder, but the sea is the sea,” I answered.

“Why don't I take you and your... fiancé... for a sail?” the bronze-haired glowing man said to me.

“Why don’t you find me a boat myself and we’ll have a race?” I suggested, daring him to accept my challenge with a cocked eyebrow, and he smiled.

“You’ve got yourself a race, Miss Everdeen,” he said to me, and sure enough, half an hour later, Finnick Odair and I were on two sailboats, with Peeta in my boat and Finnick’s fellow victor, Annie Cresta, in his.

“Is this really a good idea?” Peeta asked me, looking a little green from the rocking motions of the boat, and I chuckled.

“Absolutely,” I told him. “Have confidence in your wife, Peeta Mellark. You’re married to a Hebridean, and we’re the best sailors in the world.” I was in my element on a boat, even though I hadn’t sailed in over eight and a half years. Finnick Odair was trying to show me up, but my Hebridean roots wouldn’t allow that. “Prepare to tack!” I said to Peeta in Gàidhlig, a phrase I didn’t know in English, before I pulled the mainsail and pulled the tiller towards the sail, tacking right in front of Finnick’s boat and giving him a salute as I passed him - he seemed quite amused. Peeta, on the other hand, did not at all appreciate the sudden movement and started wrenching over the side of the boat, and I tried not to laugh. “I’m sorry, love! Don’t worry, it’ll all be over soon,” I told him, standing over him and rubbing his back. In the end, I won the race.

As the evening approached, Peeta and I were given an hour to ourselves to do whatever we pleased, so we decided to sit on the beach together. I’d pulled him up onto the rocks, which were used to prevent the erosion of the beach, and I let my feet dangle in the sea as the waves lapped up against the rocks. Peeta sat behind me, holding me between his legs, and he rested his chin on my shoulder as we watched the sunset. “Maybe we can ask about taking a vacation here. Married couples are supposed to go on honeymoons after weddings, and we are having a wedding in a few days,” Peeta whispered into my ear.

“I don’t think they’ll allow that,” I told him, settling into his arms.

“Why not? We’re practically Capitol citizens at this rate.”

“But we’re really not, Peeta... We’re still district. The Capitol will never hold us to the same status as the people of the Capitol.”

“Maybe not...” He let out a sigh, then pressed a kiss to my outer ear. “Finnick gave me this earlier,” he said suddenly, and he shifted to pull something out of his pocket and he placed it in my hand.

“An oyster?” I asked, giving the Gàidhlig word for it.

“I don’t know what an eesh-ihd is but he said it was called an oyster.” I chuckled gently.

“ _Eisir._ ‘Oyster’ must be the English word for it.” I admired the little oyster in my hand. “Why did he give it to you?”

“He told me to open it and find out,” Peeta replied, and he took the oyster back from me and reached into his pocket for a small pocket knife that he’d started carrying around. We shifted a bit so that he was now sitting next to me, and I watched as he struggled to open the oyster. When he finally succeeded (thankfully without cutting himself), he opened it and gave off a disgusted expression at the mucousy mass inside, then picked something out of it. He smiled when he realised what it was, and then he reached over to drop the little pearl in my hand. “For you.” I smiled, looking at the little pearl in my hand.

“Thank you,” I said, realising exactly why Finnick had given Peeta the oyster. “ _Pèarlaichean_ , or pearls, are a Hebridean marriage tradition. A newly married man shucks an oyster and fishes out the pearl to give to his new wife, and the colour of the pearl represents his marriage to his wife. A white pearl symbolises purity and sincerity, as well as innocence. Pink pearls promise good fortune and success. Purple pearls promise passion and wisdom. Blue pearls represent honesty and trust. Green pearls represent balance, hope and renewal - they’re very rare, but green was the colour of the pearl my father gave to my mother. Yellow pearls represent optimism, clarity and happiness. Brownish pearls represent harmony and dependability.”

“What about that one?” Peeta asked me, referring to the pearl in my palm that was black in colour, and I smiled as I met his eyes.

“True genuine love and strength,” I replied. He smiled at me, then pulled me into his arms to give me a warm and passionate kiss. We both knew how full of love our marriage already was, and to be given the promise of the black pearl meant that we were meant to be together. I vowed to never, ever lose that pearl.

All good things come to an end, and just before the sun sank below the sea, we were summoned to prepare for the mayor’s dinner. Annie Cresta, evidently, had heard my Gàidhlig phrase while we were sailing, and when she approached me rather nervously at the mayor’s dinner, she said to me in Gàidhlig, “I’m Hebridean, too. My parents came from Barraigh.”

“That’s not far from where I’m from, I’m from Uibhist,” I told her in Gàidhlig, and she smiled.

“Just like Mags,” she said sweetly. Mags, Annie and I were the only three victors in all of Panem who were of Hebridean descent. From what little I knew of Annie, she won her Games by being the best swimmer, but she had watched her district partner be beheaded and supposedly went mad at the sight.

The beauty of District Four, however, was lost as we remembered why we were there - to celebrate the deaths of twenty-two children. _Panem today, Panem tomorrow, Panem forever._

After District Four came District Three, the technology district. We toured around technological labs and watched as they tested some new equipment. We also met the District Three victors - Cormac Roche of the 25th Games (and First Quarter Quell), Beetee Latier of the 40th Games, Dravius Pillock of the 41st Games and Wiress Maslow of the 46th Games. While in one of the factories, my eyes fell upon a young man who looked about my age with dark curly hair on his head working at some station wearing a white lab coat. He glanced up at me - his eyes looked strange, and oddly familiar. I could have sworn one of them was darker than the other - and he gave me a soft smile, then a wink, and then he turned and walked off. _Panem today, Panem tomorrow, Panem forever._

District Two was exactly what I expected it to be. Militaristic, fierce and six feet up the Capitol’s ass. We toured the military base, which looked like a rather large beehive or an upside down acorn, along with the District Two victors, of which there were many. The oldest victor from Two was Milla Darwin, who won the 24th Games, and Talin Barkley was the next oldest, who won the 30th Games. Other surviving victors included Nova Teller of the 36th Games, Reglin Grigg of the 37th Games, Lenerok Kifflin of the 48th Games, Brutus Athens of the 52nd Games, Magnow Rose of the 53rd Games and Enobaria Heller of the 62nd Games. District Two proudly displayed that they had won the 2nd, 9th, 13th, 21st, 23rd, 24th, 27th, 30th, 32nd, 36th, 37th, 52nd, 53rd and 62nd Games, but have not had a winner since Enobaria won her Games. One of the Careers, whether they were from District One, Two or Four, was more likely to win, but they of course did not win every year.

District Two was the district that Cato was from, and I worried about setting foot in District Two. I didn’t want to face Cato’s family, but they seemed proud of his actions, but also glad that I had put him out of his misery before the mutts could harm him even further. Clove’s family seemed just as unforgivable as she had, but I would never see them again, so I paid them no heed. _Panem today, Panem tomorrow, Panem forever._

District One was the district of which both tributes had died at my hand - Glimmer died from the tracker jackers that I had dropped on the careers and Marvel I had killed with an arrow when he’d killed Rue. Both of their faces looked down at me from the banner when Peeta and I delivered our speech, and I felt as if they could see right through me. District One was the luxury items district and was basically the Capitol’s lapdog, and all of its surviving victors seemed cold and neutral to our existence. It was a known fact how little respect the higher number districts held in District One, and most of the other districts, with the exception of District Two, saw District One as they ultimate ass kisser of the Capitol (Peeta referred to District One by this title on the train and it took us ages to suppress our laughter).

The surviving victors from District One included Lemma Price of the 17th Games, Alpha Heuron of the 31st Games, Shimmer Stephens of the 38th Games, Prodigy Prelius of the 57th Games, Gloss Horne of the 61st Games, Aristotle Archer of the 63rd Games, Cashmere Horne (Gloss’s sister) of the 65th Games and Glitter Pash of the 73rd Games - the year before Peeta and I. Prodigy Prelius had had a daughter in the 70th Games, the one that Annie Cresta had won, and she claimed to be proud of her daughter, who had volunteered, but I could see in her eyes - the eyes of a mother - that Prodigy Prelius was putting on a show. There were equally many tributes who had children that were too young to be reaped, but inevitably would be in the future. _Panem today, Panem tomorrow, Panem forever._

With the tour of the districts finally over, we were left with one more tiger cage to face - the Capitol. The knot in my stomach was easily the size of the baby that grew inside of me, which was easily nearing two pounds in size. I dreaded bringing my child into the Capitol, despite the fact that she was conceived there. Peeta sensed my discomfort as we passed the border into the Capitol and he embraced me tightly, affirming his promise that he was going to keep myself and our baby - our little Lark - safe. The banners on the walls of the tunnel fluttered in the breeze as we rode by.

_Panem today._

_Panem tomorrow._

_Panem forever._

I desperately hoped we’d succeeded in pacifying the districts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was it enough? Did they pacify the districts?
> 
> Please review!


	8. The Capitol Wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katniss and Peeta are married in the Capitol, but things don’t exactly go to plan. Peeta makes a big sacrifice for Katniss.

* * *

**KATNISS POV**

* * *

The Capitol meant the wedding, which meant that Peeta and I were almost immediately separated as soon as we arrived. I’d had a bad feeling that that would have happened, so I held his hand as tightly as I could until we were forced to let go of each other. “I’ll see you tonight,” he whispered into my ear, giving me a chaste kiss on the cheek, and the entire time I was being led - or rather, dragged - away, I kept my eyes on him, and he smiled hesitantly at me and waved. I was brought to a different place than I was expecting - instead of the Tribute Tower, I was brought to a place called Victors’ Hotel, which was where the victors stayed during the Games, apparently. I suppose I did wonder where Haymitch had gone off to when Peeta and I were tributes. It had fourteen floors - the ground floor was the lobby, floors one through twelve were for the victors to stay at (only one victor ever stayed on the twelfth floor since the Second Quarter Quell) and the top two floors were the Victors’ Lounge, where they’d congregate when they weren’t watching their tributes, and the Victors’ Suite, where the most recent victor (or in our case, victors) would stay during the Games. It was the Victors’ Suite where I would be preparing for my Capitol wedding to Peeta.

When I arrived, I was not at all surprised to see my prep team already there waiting for me, but I was surprised to see Glitter Pash and Johanna Mason sitting on the sofa staring at me. I was surprised to see the two women, the District One victor from the previous year and the District Seven victor, when Venia answered my question for me. “It’s time to get the bride and her beautiful bridesmaids ready!” the very vocal Capitol woman exclaimed.

“Bridesmaids?” I asked, confused.

“Yup, bridesmaids, Brainless,” said Johanna Mason. “Don’t you know what the hell a bridesmaid is?”

“‘Fraid not. We don’t have them where I’m from,” I told the two women on the couch - or rather, girls, I suppose. Glitter Pash was fifteen when she won her Games, making her sixteen this year - the same age as me, and Johanna was sixteen when she won her Games, which meant that she was now twenty, if not almost twenty.

“Bridesmaids sort of... help the bride, I guess, get ready for her wedding,” Glitter tried to explain, and I nodded.

“Ah, I see,” I replied. “Well, it’s... nice to see you both again.” Johanna snorted.

“You’d be perfectly fine never seeing either of us again, you liar,” she said, and then she stood. “I’m gonna go get a drink from the lounge. Have fun with Brainless, Boobless.” I raised an eyebrow as she left - I suppose ‘Boobless’ was Johanna’s nickname for Glitter, and she rolled her eyes.

“She’s not actually that bad,” Glitter tried to explain to me. Glitter was very pretty, with golden blonde hair and beautiful emerald green eyes, a similar shade to my mother’s. She was tall, tanned and had a beautiful figure, but Johanna’s observation was correct - Glitter did not have very developed breasts.

“She hung all over Peeta’s arm when we stopped in District Seven,” I replied.

“She’s just pushing your buttons. I learned that very quickly from mentoring with her this year.”

“This was your first year as a mentor, yes?” Glitter nodded, and I moved to sit down on the couch a couple of cushions away from her, awkwardly grimacing. “I’m... sorry... about your tributes...”

“It’s the Games, isn’t it?” She shrugged, and I nodded. Glitter was, surprisingly, very amiable and easy to talk to for a District One girl, something I certainly didn’t expect. We kept our talk minimal, to things that girls talked about because we both knew very well that the suite was bugged. She sat back as Venia, Flavius and Octavia did my hair and makeup talking about her family. “My brothers want to volunteer. I only volunteered because I wanted a chance to escape my mother.”

“Not for glory?” I asked her.

“Well, glory is certainly a good thing, but the main thing for me was getting away from her. She was cruel to me and my brothers. Abusive, neglectful, downright evil. Every day, she told me she hated me and wished I was never born, so I volunteered for the Games so that she wouldn’t have to put up with me. I wasn’t expecting to make it out, but I guess I channeled all my anger at her into winning, and... I did. I didn’t even know there was only one tribute left when I... won.”

“Are you and your brothers safe now?” She nodded.

“She didn’t come with us to Victors’ City. That’s what we call our Victors’ living quarters - Victors’ City. There’s a lot of us and we each get our own building. We actually ran out of buildings so they had to build another one when I won.” She chuckled sadly. “You know, you’re brave for having a baby. Prodigy Prelius was my mentor and she had a daughter in the 70th Games. She says she’s proud of the glory her daughter brought to our district, but she loved her daughter a lot. I can’t imagine it felt good watching her own daughter drown.”

“I don’t think so, either,” I replied. “Will you have kids someday?”

“I’m afraid of having them. Not because of the reaping. They’d bring glory to the district and to their family... but because I’m afraid I’m going to turn out like my mother,” Glitter confessed. Was that not the same fear that I had had once, before the Games? Not that I’d turn into my mother per say, but that I’d shut down like Agnessa.

“You won’t. Your mother’s treatment of you has made you so much stronger and better than her,” I told the girl who sat on the bed, and she smiled sadly.

“Thanks. I’d like to think you’re right, but I can’t trust myself. I’ll never find anyone I want to marry, anyway. The man I want to marry, well... his family won’t let him.”

“Really? Why’s that? You’re a victor, after all. They wouldn’t have to ever worry about him.”

“Because he’s from the upper class, and I’m not. Victor or not, they can’t see me as anything but gutter trash.” It was just like myself and Peeta - the merchant boy and the Seam girl.

“Peeta and I were like that,” I told her. “He’s from our upper class in Twelve, and I’m from the lower class, on top of being a refugee, so two strikes there.” We shared a quiet chuckle. “But we didn’t let that stop us.”

“His family will cut him off, if he marries me, and I can’t have that. But thank you for the encouragement. I’m sure I’ll find someone in the future. I’ve got my whole life, don’t I?” I hadn’t realised that District One was equally as complex socially as we were in District Twelve. They had their class systems as well, and they had their expectations of their citizens, same as we did. It’s easy to forget that the people in the career districts are human, too, even though their tributes are generally known for loving the Games and those districts support the Capitol and what they do. But not all of them are like that - just like how not all merchants hate Seam folk.

The dress I was expected to wear was large, white and extravagantly Capitol. It had been voted on by the Capitol citizens and that would be the dress that I was expected to wear. It made me glad that Peeta and I had legally married on our own back at home, in a simple dress with me wrapped in my family’s tartan and only our closest friends and family present. This dress was meant to hide my bump, as it wasn’t the style for a bride to be six months pregnant. Glitter and Johanna were both dressed in silver dresses wearing glittery Capitol makeup, same as me. As I looked at my reflection, all I wanted in the world was for Peeta to take me into his arms and assure me that everything was going to be okay, but he wasn’t there.

Instead, I was joined by Cinna, who had been busy in the Capitol when the Games weren’t going on. “You look beautiful,” he told me, and I gave him a nervous smile. “You ready, girl on fire?”

“As ready as I can be,” I told him. He pulled me in for a tight embrace, one that I found comfort in, before leading me out of the suite and down to the cars that were waiting for me to take me and my bridesmaids to the President’s Mansion, where the wedding would take place. This was it - this night would tell me if we kept up our end of the bargain for Snow.

* * *

**PEETA POV**

* * *

I can’t go into much detail about the wedding because frankly, I don’t remember much, and compared to my real wedding to Katniss, this one didn’t matter. All I knew was my ‘groomsmen’, whatever that was, were Finnick Odair, Rodney Fuller (the most recent male victor other than myself) and Haymitch, they were dressed in silver suits while I was dressed in white, and despite the Capitol makeover that she had been given, Katniss still looked like the most beautiful woman in the world. When she walked to me down the aisle, I couldn’t help but smile at her as she placed her small hands in mine, and I hardly listened to the officiate as he spoke and had us repeat our vows. I repeated the vows, of course, and so did Katniss, and before I knew it, I was told to kiss my bride, and I did. I kissed that woman to the best of my abilities, but not as passionate as I would have liked - that would be saved for later.

There was a big party after, and Katniss and I were forced to mingle with and dance with all kinds of Capitolite people. Eventually, we got to dance with each other, and I saw her glance over my shoulder, her eyes wide and glassed over, and I turned my head to see what she was looking at. It was President Snow, on his balcony, watching over the party. He was sneering at us, and Katniss and I both silently asked him with our eyes if what we’d done had been enough. Slowly, he nodded his head, and then he tapped his wristwatch. Katniss happily pulled me into a tight hug and I returned it equally as tight, burying my lips into her hair.

“We did it, honey. Our baby is going to be safe,” I whispered to her, kissing the side of her face. She was fighting off tears of joy as she held me, not wanting to ruin the white of my suit.

“I’m so glad,” she told me, and I knew that she meant just that - glad. Glad that we’d pacified the districts, but not happy. Not in the slightest bit.

As it got later, I noticed Katniss seeming a bit more reclusive, so I snagged Effie’s arm and pulled her aside. “I think Katniss is tired, I’m gonna take her back,” I told her.

“But there are still so many people you both have to meet! This party isn’t just to celebrate your wedding, dear boy, it is to celebrate your victory!” Effie exclaimed.

“Effie, she’s pregnant,” I reminded her. “I’m taking her back.” Effie let out a frustrated huff.

“Well, you can certainly be kinder about it! Very well, I’ll arrange it,” she replied.

“Thank you. Really, Effie, thank you, for everything,” I told her, giving her a smile, and then I sought out Katniss, who was standing off to the side looking a little pale. “Hey, are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine. I probably just ate a bit too much,” she replied. “Are we leaving soon?”

“Effie’s arranging a car so we should be out of here within ten minutes,” I told my wife, whom I’ve now married twice. She wrapped her arms around my neck and drew my lips in for a kiss.

“Perfect. That gives us more time for a wee bit of fun tonight.” I snorted just a little. “What? Any excuse to get Peeta Mellark into bed, I’ll take.”

“You don’t need an excuse for that and you know it, Mrs. Mellark,” I reminded her, kissing her nose. Soon, there was a car to take us back to Victors’ Hotel, where we would be staying on the top floor - the Victors’ Suite. We would also get to stay here during the next Games, but I tried hard not to think about that. I helped her get out of that hideous Capitol dress - I know Katniss liked it because Cinna, her stylist, made it, but it just wasn’t her, no matter what she said - and she stood before me in just a slip. She thanked me for my help by kissing me, and then suddenly doubled over as if she had a stomach cramp. “Katniss? Katniss, what’s wrong?” I asked her.

“I don’t feel so good, Peeta...” she muttered, and then she took off towards the bathroom, emptying the contents of her stomach into the toilet.

“Katniss!” I exclaimed, running after her and kneeling down beside her to rub her back. “You’re okay, honey, you’re okay... Do I have to call for help?” She shook her head.

“No... I’ll be fine,” she said, and then she vomited again. She was not fine, not after continuously throwing up for half an hour, so I summoned an avox to call for help. My poor Katniss was so sick, she had to go to the hospital, and until they ruled out some kind of contagious disease, they wouldn’t let me see her, so I spent my wedding night alone and pacing the room, unable to sleep.

The next morning, after I’d gone to shower, I came out and there was a white card on the bedside table with a name on it that I didn’t know. Serous Magnificent, 4:00PM - who the hell could that be? As I stood there questioning the card, there was a knock at the door and Haymitch entered, his bloodshot eyes looking somber. “The President wants to see you,” he told me, his voice laced with sadness.

“What for?” I asked, now nervous, but Haymitch shrugged.

“No idea, but he’s demandin’ your presence now. There’s a car waitin’ for you downstairs,” Haymitch replied. As I passed him on my way out, he patted my shoulder and gave it a squeeze, and I tried not to think too much of it.

When I arrived at the Presidents’ Mansion, I was escorted down the lavishly extravagant halls to a set of large oak doors, then led inside. President Snow was sitting at his desk, hands clasped and patiently waiting for me. My eyes must have been wide, and Snow waved off the peacekeepers and motioned for me to sit. “Have a seat, Mr. Mellark,” he told me, and I did as I was told.

“G-good morning, President Snow. To what do I owe the pleasure?” I said, trying my best to not show him that I was afraid, but I knew he could see right through me.  _ “He smells fear, I swear of it,” _ Katniss had once said, and suddenly, I longed for her to be by my side.

“I’m disappointed in you and Miss Everdeen, Mr. Mellark. Surely, Miss Everdeen - excuse me, Mrs. Mellark, now - told you about our agreement?” Snow asked me, and I swallowed nervously and nodded.

“Yes, sir. Forgive me but we thought we did well in pacifying the districts. There was no sign of discontent,” I replied.

“Oh, you and Mrs. Mellark certainly did your jobs in pacifying the districts. Now everyone believes that the romance the pair of you fabricated in the arena was genuine, with no malicious intent.”

“There never was a malicious intent. Katniss and I really are in love, and we weren’t trying to start a rebellion in the arena.” Snow held up a hand to stop me.

“I believe you, Mr. Mellark, however, there are certain behaviours that you and Mrs. Mellark are expected to uphold. You and Mrs. Mellark left the party early last night.”

“She wasn’t feeling well. President Snow, she’s six months pregnant. She tires out very easily.”

“And though you were not aware, there were many buyers who purchased the chance to witness the wedding night between the two star-crossed lovers, and they were sorely disappointed when it did not happen.”

“...what? What are you...” People  _ bought _ the viewing privilege of our wedding night? And we didn’t even know about it? I knew I couldn’t be angry about that, not to Snow and not to anyone who might rat me out to him, so I pressed on. “President Snow, she was sick... She had to go to the hospital and everything! I wasn’t going to force her to do anything when she felt so unwell!”

“Then you and I both have a problem, Mr. Mellark. I have ten buyers who paid good money to witness the wedding night of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, and they did not get what they paid for. You also have Mrs. Mellark’s agreement with me to protect, so I propose a... suggestion... of what you can do, otherwise the agreement is off, and your children will most certainly be reaped the year they are eligible.” My stomach dropped and my heart rate quickened. After all we’d done to protect our children, all of it was about to be flushed away all because of one thing that was out of our control.

“Please... Please, President Snow, I’ll do anything. Please don’t cancel the agreement,” I begged him.

“Anything, you say?”

“Yes, anything! I’ll do anything!”

“Then you will satisfy these ten buyers, Mr. Mellark. Tell me, have you become acquainted with Mr. Odair? He’s very sought after here in the Capitol, and you are, as well. But you are off limits, due to your marriage to Miss Everdeen, hence why your wedding night was so profitable.” I felt sick to my stomach - I hoped against hope that he wasn’t about to suggest that Katniss and I perform as escorts for the people who paid to watch our wedding night. “In order to save mine and Mrs. Mellark’s agreement, you must meet with these ten buyers, over a period of ten days. Give them a show, Mr. Mellark. Make sure they get what they paid for.”

“Katniss doesn’t have to participate?”

“Mrs. Mellark will be sent back to District Twelve as soon as she is able. If you will check the card that you found on your bedside table this morning, you will find the name of your first buyer. Do not disappoint, Mr. Mellark.” With that said, I was dismissed, the peacekeepers coming in to fetch me and bring me back to Victors’ Hotel. God, I felt sick, but if this was what I had to do to save Katniss and our children, well... then so be it.

* * *

**HAYMITCH POV**

* * *

I took a long swig from my flask, trying hard to get the bitter taste of what I knew that poor boy was gonna have to do out of my mouth. Poor kid... It wasn’t the girl’s fault she got sick, but I knew Snow had no mercy. He was pissed he couldn’t sell either the boy or the girl to people in the Capitol so he saw an opportunity and he snatched it up. He knew the boy loved the girl so much, he’d agree to anything to protect her. God, that girl was so lucky to have that boy...

I was sitting in the lounge, waiting for any news of either of my two kids - they’re my kids now, I guess. I never wanted kids, but these two sort of became my unofficial kids as soon as they came out of the Games alive. I heard a sound, and when I looked up, I saw the boy and that ratchet ass Serous Magnificent, with his stupid mint green hair and lavender-tinted skin, grope that poor boy. “Thanks for a great night,” said that purple idiot, and he finally left. The boy looked at me, all the innocence gone from his sky blue eyes, and I gestured for him to come on over, which he did. I stood and sat him down, then handed him my flask, which he took a big swig of, trying not to let the tears that were building up in his big blue eyes fall.

“She can never know about this,” he said quietly, not looking up at me, and I nodded. What happened to this boy was something that would break that girl, and it was better if she didn’t know. These poor kids had so much fight in them when I first met ‘em on the train six months before, but now, they were both empty shells of the people they used to be. Snow had wanted to suppress the flames that had once burned inside both of them, and he succeeded. Their fires were out, and with it went any hope of a rebellion.

* * *

**PEETA POV**

* * *

It was day three in the Capitol - three suitors down, seven more to go. I was told that I wouldn’t get any more after that because I was considered ‘off limits' thanks to my marriage, but I still had to bed these ten fuckers who paid to watch Katniss and I make love on our wedding night. I did it for Katniss and I did it for our child. Katniss could never know. She’d be so angry and so distraught that it was better if she never found out, and I would make sure she didn’t.

Katniss was being discharged from the hospital today and I was going to pick her up from the hospital and take her to the train station, where she'd be sent home. Meanwhile, I had to stay in the Capitol for another week. I had to think of something to tell her, anything. Maybe... something to do with art supplies, yes. I was filming a commercial for art supplies and I had to stay in the Capitol for another week, but Katniss had to go home because technically, victors weren’t allowed in the Capitol unless they were given special permission, and Katniss’s permission had ended and she had to go home. That should work. She’d have no reason to not believe me. When I got to the hospital, I made my way to her room, where she was sitting up being checked by a nurse. She met my eyes and smiled at me, reaching out a hand for me to take, which I did.

“Good morning, beautiful,” I said, kissing her forehead while the nurse checked her blood pressure. “How’re you feeling?”

“Much better. They diagnosed me with hyperemesis gravidarum,” she told me, and she giggled at the confused expression on my face. “It means severe morning sickness, love.”

“Ah... That’s terrible! You’ll have to rest when you get home, I’ll call ahead to your mother to make sure you’re in bed as soon as you get home,” I told her, and it was her turn to look confused.

“Are you not coming with me?” she asked me, and I could see the gentle flash of fear in her eyes, but I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. I could not give myself away.

“They want me to film a commercial for art supplies. I’ll just be here another week and then I’ll come back home and never leave your side again,” I told her, giving her a smile.

“I don’t like that,” she told me, her other hand now resting protectively on her belly.

“Don’t worry, honey, it’ll be okay. Haymitch is gonna stay here with me, make sure things run smoothly. Effie’s gonna escort you back. It’s gonna be okay, I promise. I’ll be home before you know it.” The nurse took that moment to finish up her work and leave the two of us alone, and Katniss reached up with both of her arms to pull me into an embrace.

“I just can’t shake the feeling that something’s wrong. Peeta, is there something you’re not telling me?”

“You know I’d tell you if there was,” I assured her, pressing a kiss to her cheek. I then pulled back from the embrace and smiled at her. “It’s just a commercial. Nothing to be scared of.”

“I just don’t like the idea of you here by yourself.”

“I’ll have Haymitch.”

“Without me.”

“You need to rest, and you and I both know that you can only do that at home.” She let out a sigh, looking away from me, and I kissed her forehead. “It’ll only be a week and then I’ll be home.”

“A week too long.”

“I know...”

“And it takes two days to travel, Peeta. That means you’ll be home in nine days, not seven!”

“And I’ll be counting down each of those days until I’ll be home and in your arms again. Honey, I promise you there’s nothing to worry about.” She wasn’t reassured, she knew me too well, but I refused to tell her the truth about what was happening. I went with her to the train station and gave her a long and passionate kiss just before she boarded the train and waved her off as it pulled out of the station, and I knew that the next nine days were going to be absolutely unbearable.

But I had to do it, for her and our child.

* * *

**EPSILON POV**

* * *

I sat at a round table with many other people. When in this room, we called each other by Greek alphabet code names. Alpha sat and watched the screen, watching as Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark gave a speech about how they were ‘madly in love’ and ‘eternally grateful to the Capitol for allowing them both to live’. Alpha believed it was all a ruse, that they were forced to keep it up to prevent a rebellion.

“We were relying on her to speak. She didn’t say a word. This is not the girl you promised me, Beta,” Alpha said to Beta, who sat beside her.

“I’m telling you,  _ that’s  _ the girl!” Beta exclaimed. “She’s probably scared out of her mind right now. She’s got people to protect, you know.”

“And she’s pregnant. I’m sure Snow threatened the baby,” I chimed in, and both Alpha and Beta looked at me.

“Is that so, Epsilon?” Alpha asked me.

“Mothers will do anything to protect their children when they’re desperate,” I told her.

“She looks broken, Alpha. Both of them do, just look at them,” said Gamma. “Those aren’t the eyes of someone with a fire left in them to fight.”

“Then we find another,” said Alpha.

“She can do it,” said Zeta, and he and I shared a glance.

“We both know that she can,” I chimed in. “She needs a push. Target Peeta Mellark, he’s the only one she’ll listen to.”

“But she’s stubborn,” Zeta continued. “Things might progress a little bit slower now, we weren’t expecting her to be pregnant, but if she’s anything like Mum, that fire will never be put out. You just have to fan the embers.”

“So what do you suggest we do then, Zeta?” asked Delta, leaning forward over the table, and Zeta and I both looked at her.

“Target Peeta Mellark, just like what Epsilon said,” Zeta replied.

“Get in touch with Kappa and Theta, then, and it wouldn’t hurt to reach out to Iota, either,” Alpha said, and she stood. “I don’t want things to progress slowly. I don’t want to wait, but I trust your judgement, Zeta and Epsilon. You’ve given me no reason to doubt you.” She nodded to us both, and then she left the room. Zeta and I exchanged a glance - this wasn’t going to be easy, but we both had faith in Katniss Everdeen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who is Epsilon, and why do they have so much faith in Katniss? Will Katniss ever find out about the sacrifice that Peeta made for her and their baby?
> 
> Please review!


	9. Morning Lark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peeta confides in Prim. The Mellarks add a new addition to their family and President Snow isn’t happy.

* * *

**PEETA POV**

* * *

Ten days after I watched Katniss get on the train to go back home from the Capitol, I finally stepped onto the platform of the District Twelve station. I hadn’t given Katniss and her family a time, nor had I given them a date, and I actually had to stay in the Capitol for an extra day to have the bruises and marks that those horrible Capitol fucks had left on me so that Katniss wouldn’t find out. I’ll never forget the names of the ten people who took advantage of me as if I were some kind of object - Bacchus Pristine, Vesta Glass, Clio Proper, Lovejoy Hallish, Evianna Glitters, Ademar Love, Algernon Marvellous, Fabian Gold, Radcliffe Harvard and Serous Magnificent. I hoped I would never, ever hear any of those ten names again, and I hoped that Katniss would never, ever meet any of them.

The second I opened the door to mine and Katniss’s home in Victors’ Village, I was blinded by chocolate brown as Katniss’s arms wrapped themselves tightly around my neck, and I returned her embrace firmly, holding her so tightly that we collapsed to the floor in a heap and held each other. The part of my shoulder where her face was felt wet, telling me that she was crying, and I began to firmly rub her back, reassuring both of us that we were finally together. “Shh, Katniss, shh, it’s okay. See? We’re together again!” I said to her.

“You’re late!” she hissed at me through tears.

“I know, baby. I’m sorry,” I said back to her. “But it’s okay. From now on, you and I will never be separated again. I promise you that.”

“We’ll have to go back...”

“I know, but we’ll be doing it together. Come here, Katniss.” I pulled back from the embrace to take her face in my hands and finally get a look at her face, which I had missed so much. Her eyes were red and puffy and she had tear tracks all down her face, but she was still the same beautiful Katniss that she had always been - safe, unharmed and perfect. I gave her a smile, and she returned it, and then our lips started devouring each other’s. We were interrupted by the sound of a throat clearing, and when Katniss and I broke our kiss, we were surprised to see Agnessa and Prim standing behind us, Prim eyeing me suspiciously. “Mrs. Everdeen! Prim!” I said, standing up and helping Katniss to stand. Evidently, we’d left the door open.

“Hello, Peeta. It’s good to see you back from the Capitol,” Agnessa told me, and I made sure to hug them both and kiss them both on the cheek. Prim seemed hesitant to break eye contact with me and she was giving me a strange look, but I brushed it off. “We’re having dinner at our home, if you’d both like to come over. Katniss has been so unwell as of late with her pregnancy and you must be so tired, Peeta.”

“Absolutely exhausted, but...” I began, and I looked at Katniss, “I thought they sent you home with medicine?”

“They did, but it only does so much. There are days when the nausea is so bad that even the pills don’t work,” she told me, clinging tightly to my arm. “Don’t worry, Peeta, it’s all right. I’ll be fine, I promise.” She gave me a smile and then a kiss on the cheek, and then she turned to face Agnessa. “We’d love to come over for dinner but Peeta literally just got home. We’ll come over once he’s settled and showered.” Agnessa nodded, then nudged Prim back to their home, leaving the two of us alone. “Peeta,” Katniss said once I’d closed the door behind them, and I looked at her. “What really happened in the Capitol?”

“What are you talking about, Katniss? I filmed a commercial for art supplies,” I told her, trying to give her a smile.

“Your eyes say otherwise,” she said to me, and I sighed. I couldn’t tell her about the buyers, nor could I tell her about the fact that Snow was angry we didn’t consummate our Capitol marriage, but I could tell her one thing.

“I met with President Snow,” I finally told her, and I could hear a small gasp come from the back of her throat. “Honey, it’s okay. Everything is okay. We did it.” I took her hands in mine and smiled, then brought her hands to my lips to kiss them. “He wanted to tell me that we’d pacified the districts. Our children are safe from the reaping.” It wasn’t a lie, it just wasn’t the whole truth. A wave of relief rushed over her face and she pulled me into another tight embrace.

“Oh, _taing dhan Àigh_ ,” she said quietly, which I could only guess was some phrase of relief. She pulled back from the embrace to kiss me again before taking my hands in hers. “Come on, then, let’s go and celebrate. You still owe me a wedding night.” I smiled awkwardly - I owed a lot of people that wedding night. I let her take me up the stairs, but after all I had been through in the Capitol, sex was the last thing on my mind.

“I must be tired,” I told her when I couldn’t get an erection, and she let out a disappointed sigh.

“It’s all right, my love, it happens sometimes. Why don’t we take a nap? I haven’t slept properly in days and I’m dying to be in your arms again,” she replied lovingly, and we did just that.

At dinner, Katniss was helping her mother cut some potatoes in the kitchen when Prim and I were ordered outside to gather some rosemary from the garden. Rosemary, evidently, grew year round, which explained why there was such an abundance of it in the Everdeens’ garden. As Prim and I were bent over the rosemary bush, Prim was still eyeing me suspiciously, and I tried not to think anything of it, until she spoke. “Peeta, what’s that mark on your neck?” she asked me, an accusatory tone in her voice.

“That what?” I asked, my hand moving to my neck, and my stomach dropped. The doctors who worked to hide all the marks must have missed one on my neck, and I tried to hide my shock. “Your sister must have given it to me when I got home.”

“I saw it on your neck earlier, too. It looks like a bruise, a couple of days old,” Prim told me, and I could see the betrayal rising in her eyes. I panicked. What could I do? To Prim, it looked like I had cheated on Katniss in the Capitol - isn’t that what I had done though? Even though it had been forced on me and I was being threatened if I didn’t do so, I was still intimate with other people (if one could even call it that). Katniss would be heartbroken and furious, and would likely be even more angry if I told Prim the truth. She was always trying to protect Prim and treated her like she was still a child, which, technically, she was, but so were Katniss and I, by that logic. We were still of reaping age, even though we weren’t eligible for the reaping anymore. Prim was more mature than Katniss gave her credit for, and more insightful, and I knew I could trust Prim to keep my secret.

“Prim... I need you to keep a secret for me, okay? I know it looks really bad, but I promise you it’s not at all what you’re thinking. I need you to listen to me and to promise me that you will never, ever tell Katniss. It will destroy her if she finds out,” I told Prim, but that seemed to make her even more distrustful of me. She crossed her arms and glared at me, the same way Katniss once did.

“I’m listening, but I’ll decide after if I’ll tell Katniss or not,” she said, and I sighed.

“Fair enough, but just know that... Prim, this might be very disturbing,” I told her. “When I was in the Capitol, I... I wasn’t filming a commercial... The night that Katniss and I were married in the Capitol, we were expected to, well... make the marriage official. I’m sure you can guess what that means...”

“Of course, I’m not stupid,” she said harshly.

“I know you’re not stupid, that’s why I’m trusting you with this,” I told her. “Apparently...” I glanced around, noticing that there was nothing out here that could easily have a microphone connected to it, but I lowered my voice to a whisper anyway. “...the president had... sold... viewing rights of our, uh... wedding night... to ten people in the Capitol... They paid a lot of money to watch us... you know... and unfortunately, Katniss got very sick that night and we didn’t do it because I wasn’t going to force her. Neither of us had any idea that this was happening. Because nothing happened, the people who paid to watch us... yeah... were very upset, and the President, well... he...” I let out a sigh, then decided to just come out and say it. “He forced me to... perform... what married people do with those ten buyers... If I didn’t, well... Prim, understand that Katniss has made a lot of sacrifices to protect not only you and your mother, but the baby, me, my family and the Hawthornes. If I didn’t obey the president’s orders... all that Katniss had done to protect everyone she loves would have been for nothing.”

“He forced you to... sleep with those people?” Prim asked, now horrified. At least she didn’t look as if I had betrayed her anymore. I nodded.

“Yeah...”

“Peeta... That’s horrible... I... I’m so sorry...”

“Katniss can never find out. _No one_ can ever find out. I told you because I trust you, and because I don’t want you to think that I would ever willingly seek comfort from anyone else. I love Katniss more than anything in the world and I would never betray her like that. I did this to protect her and her agreement with the president. Please promise you won’t tell her.”

“I won’t... I swear I won’t.”

“Thank you... Prim, thank you,” I said as I pulled the girl that has become my own little sister into a hug, and she embraced me back.

“Are you okay? Did they hurt you?” she asked me.

“I’m okay, I promise,” I told her. “Can you help me do something about this bruise?”

“Sure I can,” said Prim, and she pulled back from the embrace and took a couple of steps away from me. “Just look over there for a second.” She pointed behind me in the direction of the gates to Victors’ Village.

“Look over there? Why?” I asked, wondering what on Earth she had in mind.

“Just look,” she told me, and I did, and I felt a surge of icy cold hit the back of my neck and I yelped in shock. The yelp I had let out evidently had been heard inside and Katniss was suddenly at the back door and coming down the steps.

“Is everything all right? What happened?” she asked.

“Peeta and I were just having a snowball fight,” Prim said innocently as Katniss approached my kneeling form.

“Prim, this snow is too hard for a snowball fight!” Katniss scolded her sister, and she examined me where the ice ball had hit me. “It left a bruise! Primrose!” That kid was an absolute genius.

“I’m sorry, I thought it was softer!” Prim said innocently.

“Don’t apologise to me, apologise to Peeta!” said Katniss, and I turned to look at that clever little girl.

“I’m sorry, Peeta,” she told me, giving me a subtle wink. I smiled knowingly at her as I fully stood up.

“That’s okay, Prim. No harm done,” I said in response.

“Go on inside with the rosemary and help Agnessa with dinner,” Katniss ordered her sister, and Prim obediently went inside. I then felt Katniss’s fingers on my face and I looked down to meet her eyes. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine, Katniss. You forget, I have two older brothers, and an abusive mother. Bruises are common for me. I’ll heal quickly,” I told her, giving her a quick kiss on the lips. “C’mon, it’s cold out here.”

I was pretty confident that our troubles were over. All we had to do was maintain appearances at the Games as mentors and make sure we followed Snow’s orders to have more babies, and follow whatever else the Capitol expected of us. Things were finally going to be better, now that I had secured our children’s safety. At the time, I didn’t realise that it was a false sense of security, and I wish now that I hadn’t gotten myself used to that feeling.

* * *

**KATNISS POV**

* * *

It was a chilly day in February - the thirteenth of February, to be precise - when I joined Prim and Agnessa for some afternoon tea and biscuits that Peeta had made. I was now seven months pregnant and feeling every kick that mine and Peeta’s little baby was giving me, and while it still unsettled me just a little, I felt safer now that I knew that Snow was going to keep up his end of the bargain, same as I had. After a couple of moments of watching the tea bag steep into the hot water that Agnessa had poured, Prim asked me a question that uprooted my very core. “So what are you getting Peeta?”

I was confused. What was I getting Peeta? Did she mean _when_ was I getting Peeta? And why was I getting him? Being a non-native English speaker, I genuinely believed for a moment that this was the proper way to ask someone when someone else was coming home. “Um... Probably at six when he’s finished helping close up the bakery?” I replied with confusion laced in my voice, and she laughed.

“No, silly. Gift! What _gift_ are you getting Peeta?” she asked me.

“Gift? For what?” I asked back, now even more confused. Was I missing something?

“For what? Katniss, tomorrow is his birthday! Do you really mean to tell me that you had no idea that tomorrow is your husband’s birthday?” _Shit._ I honestly had no idea that Peeta’s birthday was the fourteenth of February. I’d never had a reason to know, really, and it’s not like anyone ever told me, either.”

“Uh...” I said, my eyes flitting around nervously. “I... It’s... a... surprise! Yes, a surprise. You’ll find out tomorrow when he tells you,” I told her in response, but Prim was smart and knew I was bullshitting.

“You didn’t even know, did you?” she asked with a smirk, and I sighed in defeat.

“No... No, I really didn’t. Ugh, does that make me a bad wife?”

“I just think it’s funny that you didn’t-”

“AGH!” I cried out suddenly, having felt a very sharp pain in my lower back. I heard clattering by the counters followed by Agnessa’s footsteps rushing over to my side and she knelt down beside me.

“Are you all right? What’s the matter?” she asked me.

“Just a... false contraction...” I told her, gritting my teeth as I waited for the pain to pass. “You know, Braxton-Hicks... They start to happen around this time, generally.”

“Yes, but usually not this bad this early... I think we should call one of the midwives just to be safe,” Agnessa said.

“Agnessa, I’m a midwife myself. I know what Braxton-Hicks contractions are,” I told her firmly.

“But you’ve never felt them. When I had them at seven months pregnant, they were never that bad.”

“Agnessa, I’ve just had one. I’m probably not going to get anoth-Oh!” I groaned as I felt another pain in my back.

“I’m calling the midwife,” Agnessa said, rushing out of the room.

“Agnessa, don’t waste their time! There’s only three of them now since I can’t even fit in my uniform-” I had stood to follow her out, but found myself stopped by a rush of warm fluid that ran down my leg and formed a puddle on the floor. My eyes wide, I glanced up at Prim, who looked horrified, before I looked up at the doorway, where Agnessa stood with the phone in her hand.

“I’m calling the midwife,” she repeated after a moment. “Prim, her waters have just broken. Help your sister across to her home and get her settled in a warm bath. We’ve got a long wait ahead of us.”

“What? No!” I exclaimed as Prim stood to take my arm. “I’m only seven months, it’s too early for me to go into labour!”

“Your baby has decided otherwise, dear,” Agnessa told me, and then she spoke into the phone. “Yes, hello, I’ve got a young mother-to-be that just went into labour... Katniss Mellark... Yes, your coworker...”

“Come on, Katniss, it’s okay,” Prim told me, leading me out of the house and down the front steps. Of course, Haymitch was outside for his daily ten minutes of sunlight, and he glanced up at us, clearly noticing the large wet spot on the crotch of my pants.

“Afternoon, sweetheart. Have yourself a little accident?” he said with amusement, but I wasn’t in the mood for jokes.

“Oh, piss off!” I snapped at him.

“Haymitch, can you go to the bakery and get Peeta? Katniss is going into labour and he needs to be here,” Prim told him calmly, and he sat up straight.

“Labour? I thought you wasn’t due until April?” Haymitch asked curiously.

“Yeah, I thought that too, but clearly someone had other ideas!” I hissed at him, and then I felt another contraction. I leaned against Prim and groaned through the contraction, and Haymitch jumped up and started making his way through the village.

“I’ll get the boy!” he called over his shoulder. I don’t think I had ever seen him run before that point.

“Well, I don’t think you have to worry about getting Peeta a gift for his birthday now. You’re about to give him the greatest gift that you could possibly give him!” Prim said to me as she led me inside of my home, but I was puffing my way through the tail end of the contraction still.

“I can’t think about that right now, Prim,” I said through gritted teeth. She was very helpful getting me into the bath and sponging my back with a sponge, but it wasn’t enough to calm my nerves. The midwife in me worried about the baby coming so soon. This child was going to be two months premature and would likely be breeched and have complications, but the part of me that had never wanted children for myself was scared, so scared and so afraid of it’s future. I knew that this baby was going to be safe - Snow promised that it would be - but the little voice in the back of my mind that said Snow wasn't going to keep his agreement would not silence, and I started to cry. Prim tried her best to comfort me, but it just wasn’t enough. She wasn’t Peeta, and I needed his firm arms around me. A bang on the lower floor startled us both.

“Katniss?” came Peeta’s frightened voice, and I could hear his heavy footsteps rushing up the stairs and into our bedroom. “Katniss!”

“In here, Peeta!” Prim called to him. A fear struck me then that made me want to run so far away from this house, from giving birth, from Agnessa and Prim and even from Peeta, but I didn’t have enough time to act on it, because Peeta burst through the bathroom door and ran to my side, kneeling down beside the tub in the place Prim had vacated only moments before.

“Katniss, honey, are you all right?” he asked me, his forehead pressed against mine, but I only cried more. “Prim, can you give us a minute? I’ve got her from here,” he said to Prim, who nodded and left the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Peeta then stripped down and climbed into the bathtub behind me, sitting down and wrapping his arms around me tightly and protectively. “It’s gonna be okay, Katniss. I’m here now and I’m not leaving your side, okay? I’m not leaving you, I promised I wouldn’t. Remember? You’re not alone. I know this is scary, but you’re not alone...”

“I don’t want to do this, Peeta!” I cried through tears, burying my face in my hands, and I felt him run his fingers through my hair.

“Shhh, hey... You have to do this, Katniss, because you’ve got no choice... but you can handle it. You’ve helped so many women through this exact thing countless times and you know what you’re doing better than anyone. You are so strong and so brave... you’re my brave girl, Katniss.” He pulled me back against his chest and buried his lips in my hair. “I’m scared, too... I know this is gonna hurt you, and to think that I’m the reason for that horrifies me... But think about all we did to get here, Katniss. In a few hours, you’re going to be holding our beautiful baby in your arms. Won’t that be worth it?” It was true. I’d assisted countless deliveries in which almost every woman felt the same fear I had, and when it was all over - when they held their child in their arms - they all said every time that it was worth it.

“You... you always know what to say, don’t you?” I asked him, sniffling and wiping away the tears.

“Only to you, because I know you,” he told me, shifting his head so that it was resting on my shoulder, and he kissed my cheek. “How’s the pain?”

“Not so bad now, but it will be,” I told him. I placed one of my hands on his, then worked up the nerve to ask him something that suddenly came to mind. “Peeta... would you mind... touching me? Down there? It... it might help a little...” Down there? I was a midwife, for God’s sake. I couldn’t even say ‘vagina’ to my own husband, who was the only person who ever had any fun with it anyway. Well, I guess I couldn’t say the _only_ person - I’d had my way with it a couple of times, too, once I’d known the sensations that I could feel by doing so, but that was all Peeta’s doing. It felt better when he did it, anyway.

“Uh... sure. Is that safe to do?” he asked me hesitantly.

“You don’t have to go inside, just... you know... that one spot,” I said. _You mean the clitoris, Katniss. You know your own damn anatomy, you absolute fool._ When I was a midwife and tended to women’s healthcare, I could easily explain to a girl or a woman how the clitoris worked (if she asked), but apparently, when it came to my own husband - who _again_ was the only person who ever got to touch it besides myself - I seized up and could barely spit out full sentences.

“Of course I can,” he whispered into my ear, making me shiver ever so slightly. His hand then left my abdomen and slid its way across my skin. His fingers made contact with my thigh first, and then they continued their journey to that little bundle of nerves before gently sliding over it. I let out a gasp, then reached one arm up and around his head, my hand burying itself in his hair. He chuckled as he rubbed circles on it, and my eyes closed and my head rolled back and rested on his shoulder.

“Mmm, Peeta...” I moaned.

“Does that feel good?” he asked me, and I moaned quietly in response. A knock at the door suddenly surprised us both and he pulled his hand away from my core as if he had been burned, then brought his arm across my chest to cover my exposed breasts. As I heard the doorknob rattle, I checked to see if I needed to cover him up, but he was behind me, so I was taking care of that already. The door finally opened and my fellow coworker, Sidney Silversmith, stepped in with a charming smile on her face, her blonde hair pulled back in a neat bun and her merchant blue eyes smiling along with her.

“Hello, Katniss! Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt something!” Sidney said, blushing when she realised Peeta and I were in the tub together.

“That’s okay, we’ll get out and I’ll get her into bed,” Peeta told her, and Sidney nodded and left the bathroom. “That was very close.”

“You think?” I said with a chuckle. Another contraction stopped me from getting out as he climbed out of the tub and he bent down to rub my back with his palm. When it passed, he helped out and wrapped me up in a towel. “Don’t bother with underpants. She’s just going to take them off anyway.” He looked shocked at my words. “She has to see how dilated I am, Peeta. There’s no privacy in childbirth. I’ll have hands up there until the baby’s born.”

“Uh... oh... okay then...” Peeta said, his eyes wide with shock. He gave me the shirt he had been wearing before to wear, which was big enough to cover pretty much only my expanded abdomen, before pulling his underwear and trousers back on. He then helped me climb into bed as another contraction wracked my body and he called out to Sidney to summon her. Peeta stayed by my side for the examination, braiding my wet hair for me the way I had taught him, and he held my hand when things got uncomfortable for me.

“Now, Katniss, you know the drill. You’re young and you’ve gone into labour early. This baby is most definitely breeched, and it’s also laying against your spine, which means that labour will probably be slow. We likely won’t even see this baby until tomorrow,” Sidney told me, and I nodded in response. “You are definitely in labour though, your cervix is dilated about three centimetres.”

“What’s that mean?” Peeta asked me.

“It means the hole the baby needs to come out of is about the size of a banana slice,” I told him, and his eyes widened.

“Wait, wait... Where’s it come out of?” Peeta asked again, his eyebrows raised high.

“Same place you put it in. There’s only one hole,” I replied, and his eyes widened.

“You mean... it comes out of... _that_?” he asked, now shocked.

“No, it comes out of my mouth. Yes, Peeta, it comes out of my vagina,” I told him, and a frightened squeak came out of his throat in response. Sidney and I exchanged a look, and she chuckled gently.

“Men,” she said, clearly amused. Much of the rest of the day was just a lot of waiting around, with me suffering the occasional contraction and Peeta tensing up every time I had one. Agnessa brought me some bread slices with strawberry jam on them, encouraging me to keep my sugar up so I would have the energy for the main event - that is, the actual birth. As the sun set and the hours creeped closer to midnight, the contractions became more intense and closer together. Peeta was by my side the entire time, sitting behind me and holding me tightly, encouraging me through every contraction.

Towards half past eleven, I was getting quite frustrated with how slowly my labour was progressing. “My god, get this thing out of me!” I hissed as I laid back against the pillows while Sidney gave me an internal exam.

“Should be soon now, dear. You're almost at nine centimetres,” she told me.

“But it isn’t ten!” I whined, gripping the bed sheets tightly as another contraction came over me. “God, now I’m glad I didn’t know what this felt like before, otherwise I _really_ would have never had children!” I gritted my teeth, and when Peeta reached for my hand, I pulled mine away and growled at him. “Don’t touch me, _you_ did this to me!”

“She’s in a lot of pain, Mr. Mellark. She doesn’t mean it,” Sidney tried to say to him.

“I know she doesn’t, it’s okay. I still love her and I know she still loves me,” Peeta replied, giving my sweaty forehead a kiss.

“Not after this, I won’t! You’ll be sleeping in a different bed from now on because I’m not going through this again!” I spat at him, and Sidney chuckled.

“That’s what all new mothers say during childbirth, Katniss. You should know that, and you’ll also know that they almost always do have another,” she told me.

“Yeah, because of the bloody two-child minimum!” I snapped, and Peeta grabbed my wrist quickly, giving me a warning look.

“Katniss, just take a deep breath, okay?” he said to me. He didn’t want me to say anything compromising that the microphones could pick up, so I took a deep breath that ended in yet another contraction. At five minutes shy of midnight, as I was laying back against the pillows in almost constant pain, with sweat dripping from my forehead that Peeta was mopping up with a cool wet rag, Sidney checked my cervix one more time and gave me a smile.

“Ten centimetres,” she said. “Time to start pushing.”

“What? Already?” I asked, delirious from pain, and Prim, who was seated on my other side on the bed, laughed.

“It’s been hours since you went into labour, Katniss!” she exclaimed. “Can I help?”

“You don’t want to see this, little duck. It’s not pretty,” I told her tiredly.

“But I do! I want to learn! You were already my age when the midwives took you on as an apprentice, so why can’t I help?” Prim said to me, and I let out a sigh. It was true, I was thirteen when the midwives allowed me to apprentice, and Prim was due to be thirteen in March.

“All right, very well... But listen to Mrs. Silversmith, Primrose! The baby is breeched which means this is going to require a lot of concentration!” I said to her, and she excitedly got up from my side and joined Sidney near my legs.

“Right, let’s get you to the edge of the bed. Peeta, your job is to support her upright. I need her sitting up the whole time for this,” Sidney told Peeta, who was quick to position himself behind me as I moved to sit on the very edge of the bed. I was barely on the mattress, so having Peeta behind me was very helpful.

“You ready?” he asked me as he snaked his arms around my midsection, and I nodded. “We’re gonna be parents soon...”

“I’m sorry I yelled at you earlier,” I said suddenly, and he chuckled.

“It’s okay, I’m sure I wouldn’t be very happy if I were pushing a baby out of me, either,” he replied sweetly, kissing my cheek. “I know you love me, and I love you.” I was about to return his sentiments when I was overcome by another very strong contraction, and I moaned in pain as it wracked my whole body.

“Push with the contraction, Katniss. You know how this works,” said Sidney, and I did. It was perhaps the most amount of pain I had ever been in in my entire life. Peeta held my hand the whole time while he was behind me and I pushed for about fifteen minutes before the baby actually started to come out, and the first thing to emerge was the baby’s buttocks. “You’re doing excellent, Katniss. I’ve got Baby’s feet in my hands now,” she said to me.

“It’s a girl, Katniss!” Prim exclaimed, and I couldn’t help but let out a laugh of joy.

“A girl! Peeta, it’s a girl!” I said, reaching up with a hand to touch his cheek, and he kissed my palm.

“Keep going so we can hold our little girl, honey,” Peeta told me. I could feel the smile on his face when he kissed my cheek.

“Now, Katniss, you know how to deliver a breeched baby, but your sister here does not. Miss Primrose, when you’ve got a baby that is breeched, you can’t pull it out like you would normally or you could dislocate its neck, so what we’re going to do is let gravity do the work for us. Once Katniss gives us one more push, we should be able to have Baby out up to her shoulders, and that’s when we let gravity take over. Push with your contraction, Katniss.” I did as I was told, and I could feel Sidney aiding the baby as she slid out of me. “Now, this is going to look barbaric, but we have to let her hang for just a moment - no pushing or pulling - so that she can slide out of the birth canal, but we’ll keep our hands nearby with a towel ready to catch her. We can’t do this for long because if she gets cold, she might gasp and start to panic. There’s a lot that could go wrong with a breeched birth, which is why we have to be very careful, do you understand, Miss Primrose?”

“Yes, I do,” said Prim, and she watched as Sidney did just as she described.

“Now she’s slid out enough that we can pull her out, but I’ll need a little assistance from you. I need you to press down on the mons pubis for me - that’s just above the clitoris and it forms the top of the outer vaginal lips. Can you do that for me, Miss Primrose?” Sidney asked her.

“Is that okay, Katniss?” Prim asked me, and I nodded, just wanting this to be over, and Prim did as she was told, and Sidney finally pulled our little baby out of me and held her as she took in her first breath of air and used it to screech at the top of her lungs. I let out a happy cry of joy as I finally laid eyes on my little girl for the first time - pink and messy and so, so small, and Sidney clamped and cut her umbilical cord and bundled her up into a towel, passing her to me. I cradled my little baby in my arms as her cries finally calmed and she cooed, her sweet little eyes closed tightly and her tiny little hand up against her cheek. Peeta’s hand came up under her head and held it in his palm and he wrapped his other arm around me, and I then remembered that the father of this tiny little baby was sitting behind me.

“Look at her...” I said to him. “She’s perfect, isn’t she?”

“She’s so beautiful, just like her mama,” Peeta replied. I took my eyes off of my little girl to look into the beautiful blue eyes of my husband, and he ducked his head to capture my lips in a passionate kiss.

“I love you... so, so much, Peeta,” I told him, overcome by the passion I felt in that moment. I was certainly very emotional - more emotional than I had ever felt in all my life, and for good reason. “Oh, and happy birthday. I didn’t get you a present, but I hope this is enough.” At that, Peeta laughed.

“This is more than enough! Katniss, this little girl is the best gift you could have possibly given me,” Peeta replied, kissing me again before we both looked down at our little girl again. “This is the best birthday gift I’ve ever gotten...” I grimaced suddenly as I felt a pain in my lower back.

“Sidney, I think the afterbirth is coming,” I said to Sidney, who rushed back over to me with a bowl. I handed our daughter to her father and went about delivering the afterbirth, which was certainly no pretty sight, and Prim led me into the bathroom to help me get cleaned up. Peeta, meanwhile, was given a warm rag by Sidney to wipe up our little girl’s face.

“Does she have a name? I’ll have to fill out the birth certificate when I get back to the clinic,” I heard her say.

“Lark!” I called from the bathroom.

“Yes, we want to call her Lark,” Peeta told Sidney.

When the bed and floor were finally cleaned up, and Agnessa and Prim were situated in a couple of rooms across from mine and Peeta’s, Peeta and I lay in bed, little Lark in my arms suckling peacefully from my breast. Peeta’s strong arms were wrapped around me and we were both watching our sweet little girl. “She’s so perfect, Katniss,” Peeta whispered to me.

“We’ll have to tell Effie. Snow said we’re supposed to tell our escort when we’re pregnant, and I’m assuming we’ll have to tell her that I’ve had her. We were supposed to have her in the Capitol,” I said, worried now that there was going to be trouble.

“It’s not your fault she decided she wanted to come early, although for what it’s worth, I’m glad she was born in her home,” Peeta replied.

“I didn’t see your family,” I said suddenly.

“You kicked everyone out of here so quickly, no one else had a chance to meet Lark. Haymitch was very upset when I told him he had to go home.”

“Was your family downstairs?”

“They came after they finished the bakery and had dinner. Mom wouldn’t let them come earlier. Of course she wouldn’t, you know how she feels about you.”

“She’s a mother, too, Peeta. I’m sure she knows how long it takes for a baby to come. I’m glad they weren’t sitting around our house listening to me scream for hours.”

“They wanna meet her tomorrow. Will that be okay or do you think we need more time?”

“Can’t we have a couple of days? I’m just so tired, Peeta, and everyone’s going to be coming by.”

“Of course we can. I’ll tell them that we’ll call when they can meet her.” I felt him kiss my head. “So... What did it feel like? Giving birth?”

“Like taking a massive shit,” I said brashly but honestly, and Peeta laughed. “I’m serious, it felt like I was taking the biggest shit of my life and I really thought I was! I didn’t, did I?”

“No,” Peeta said with a chuckle. “Or at least I don’t think so. I didn’t see anything and I also didn’t smell any shit so I think you’re good.”

“I smell it now, I think little miss needs a diaper change,” I told him, and I glanced up at him. “You’re turn, Daddy.” He smiled at the title, then took our little girl to change her. A knock at the door drew my attention and I looked up to see Agnessa entering the room.

“Just checking in. Did you manage to feed her, Katniss?” she asked me kindly.

“No trouble there, she latched on perfectly,” I said as I finished adjusting my shirt to cover my breast again.

“Good... She’s such a bonny thing, isn’t she? You know, there used to be an old rhyme that my mother used to say... She said it when my sister was born. It went, ‘Monday’s child is fair of face, Tuesday’s child is full of grace, Wednesday’s child is full of woe, Thursday’s child has far to go. Friday’s child is loving and giving, Saturday’s child works hard for a living, but the child that is born on the Sabbath Day is blithe and bonny and good and gay,” Agnessa said, and I smiled with amusement.

“Well, I guess she has far to go, doesn't she? Born on a Thursday, same day as her daddy,” I said, looking at Peeta, who smiled at me.

“Let me know if you need anything, dear. I’m just down the hall,” Agnessa told me, and I nodded as she left the room again, leaving Peeta and I alone with our daughter. He cradled her in his arms and kissed her head and sat down on the bed beside me.

“I never want to put her down... I can keep her safe when I’m holding her,” he said quietly, and I reached up a hand to rub his back.

“We’ll keep her safe, Peeta. We’ve already done so much to do that... No harm is going to come to our baby,” I told him.

“With you for a mother, no one would dare get within twenty feet of her,” Peeta told me cheekily. “I just... can’t shake the fear that something might... happen...”

“Nothing’s going to happen. Not on our watch,” I told him firmly. He wordlessly shifted so that he was lying down on the bed and he placed our daughter between us. While Lark slept peacefully, neither of us slept, not daring to take our eyes off of our daughter for even a moment.

* * *

**PEETA POV**

* * *

In the middle of the night, when Katniss finally fell fast asleep after bringing our beautiful daughter into the world, I got up from our bed and made my way over to Lark’s bassinet, looking down at my beautiful little girl. She had beautiful honey golden hair and the sweetest grey eyes I had ever seen - my hair, and Katniss’s eyes. Evidently, she had my face, too, according to Katniss, Prim, Agnessa and Mrs. Silversmith. I suppose I could see it. She fussed just a little, and I picked her up and cradled her in my arms.

“Shh, little one... We don’t want to wake Mama, do we? She’s only just gotten to sleep,” I whispered to her, pressing my lips to her small pink forehead. I gave her the finger of my free hand and she grasped it tightly. “You know I’m your daddy, don’t you, honey? We share a birthday you know, kiddo, you and me... Mama and Daddy love you so much, Lark... You have no idea what we’ve gone through to get you here... We’re going to keep you safe, and we’ll stop at nothing to ensure that you stay safe. You’re going to have the best life imaginable.” Her sweet little eyes started to close and she cooed just a little before lulling herself to sleep. I kissed her little forehead again. “I hope you have the sweetest dreams possible for a baby who’s only a few hours old. I hope you never know the horrors of a nightmare, or the horrors that give you them.” I lowered my sleeping little girl back into her bassinet, then kissed her head one more time before I reclaimed my spot on the bed next to Katniss. She stirred, and then I felt her hand make its way up my chest, and I covered it with mine. “Go back to sleep, Katniss,” I whispered to her.

“Are you okay?” she whispered to me, and I smiled and nodded.

“Of course I’m okay. I’m more than okay. I’ve got a beautiful wife and a beautiful daughter. I don’t think I’ll ever not be okay again,” I replied, settling in beside her and pulling her into my arms.

“Peeta, you know that isn’t true...”

“I know, but I can pretend, can’t I?” I brought her hand to my lips to kiss it.

“I’m sorry I can’t give you birthday sex,” she mumbled sleepily, and I chuckled.

“Trust me, what you gave me is _a lot_ better than birthday sex. And besides, we can make up for it on your birthday.” It was her turn to chuckle, and she wrapped her arm around me tightly. “My seventeenth birthday is the first day of my life where I’m not just a kid, a baker, a husband, a victor... I’m also a father. And you’re the mother that made me a father.”

“Mmm... I’ve been looking forward to seeing you as a father... You’re already doing such a...” She paused to yawn. “...wonderful job...”

“Get some sleep, honey. You and I both know it won’t be long before Lark needs us again.”

“Mmm... okay...” I chuckled again as she snuggled into me, and I wrapped my arms around her and held her tight. “I love you, Peeta... and Lark... I love you both so much...”

“I love you too, and I know Lark loves you more than anything in the world, she’s just not old enough to say it.” I kissed her head again, and the two of us drifted off to sleep, only to be woken again about forty-five minutes later by a hungry infant. The lack of sleep was certainly the worst part about parenthood, but I looked forward to every second of being little Lark’s daddy.

* * *

**KATNISS POV**

* * *

We had peace for two weeks, with Peeta and I trying our best to adapt to a new schedule with a newborn in the house. Neither of us slept much, and Peeta didn’t do nearly as much baking as he used to, so I really missed his cheese buns more than anything. We’d agreed to take Lark across to my old house to allow the other to sleep for four hours in the late morning/early afternoon, and one particular morning, it was Peeta’s turn, and when I brought Lark across the street, I was surprised to see a peacekeeper greet me at the door. “Mrs. Mellark,” she said to me - it was the same one from the last time, and my stomach dropped. Snow wouldn’t be happy that I didn’t have Lark in the Capitol, where, I’d been informed, I would be watched by high-paying Capitolites. I didn’t need to be told that I needed to follow this peacekeeper, and I moved to hand Lark to Agnessa. “Bring the child.” I gulped nervously, but nodded, and I followed her down the hall and to the office door, stepping inside when I was ushered in. I held Lark tightly against my chest as I locked eyes with President Snow, who motioned for me to sit.

“Have a seat, Mrs. Mellark,” he said to me.

“President Snow, please, I know I was supposed to have her in the Capitol, but I can’t control it! I went into labour early and there wouldn’t have been time-” I began at rapid fire, but Snow held up a hand to stop me.

“As much as the bidders are frustrated that they could not get what they paid for - yet again - I cannot be disappointed in what cannot be controlled. Even I have some common sense, Mrs. Mellark,” he said to me.

“Of course, I didn’t mean to imply... Is... Is everything all right?”

“I’ve just come to congratulate you and your husband on the new addition to your family.”

“Sh-should I go and get Peeta? He’s just resting now, we don’t get a lot of sleep...”

“He does not need to be here.” I nodded. “I am certain that you are aware that there was supposed to be a contest in the Capitol to decide on the name of your child?”

“No... No, I had no idea.”

“Oh? Your husband was informed when he was in the Capitol, but I suppose he must have... forgotten... to mention it.”

“He seemed very stressed and tired when he returned, I don’t think he slept much while he was there. He just... doesn’t sleep well when he isn’t home. Perhaps it just slipped his mind.”

“Perhaps. Regardless, Mrs. Mellark, your child has a name, and while the people of the Capitol aren’t very fond of your choice, your child may keep her name. However, for your next child, there will be a list of Capitol-approved names that you and your husband will select from, and there will be a betting pool depending on which name you choose.”

“That... sounds reasonable...”

“And you have two years to produce that child, Mrs. Mellark.” I swallowed, but nodded. “May I hold her?” I tightened my grip on Lark, trying to quickly think of the best excuse to not let this man - no, this monster - hold my child.

“Um... She’s... premature... and therefore more susceptible to illness... I’ve... only been letting the same... few people hold her...” I said, hoping that sounded right. It made sense, at least, and Snow knew I was a midwife.

“I can assure you, I am the last person to pass along an illness, Mrs. Mellark. And there are medicines in the Capitol that can assure she doesn’t get ill.” He gave me a look that told me I would be stepping out of line if I didn’t let him hold Lark, so hesitantly, I stood and slowly walked around the desk, lowering my child into the arms of a mass murderer, never breaking eye contact. It was a power move; I knew that. He knew forcing me to let him hold Lark would make me squirm, but I held firm. “She very much resembles her father.”

“She does indeed and I’m glad of it,” I said, trying to sound as casual as possible. “I think I’d go mad if she were a smaller version of me.”

“She does have your eyes, and Mr. Mellark’s features.”

“Hebridean eyes, yes.”

“She will be immaculate. The apple of every Capitolite’s eye.” Like hell she will be, she’s not setting foot in the Capitol. “Why did you and your husband choose the name ‘Lark’?”

“Surely, you recall in the arena when Peeta said he fell in love with me when he heard me sing when we were eight, and the birds fell silent. Apparently... those birds were larks, and even the fact that his surname is ‘Mellark’ didn’t seem to deter him. When I saw how in love he was with his choice, I, too, fell in love with it,” I explained, itching to hold my daughter again.

“Hmm... You may take her back now.” Trying not to pull her away from him as if I were pulling her away from fire, I took her back into my arms and took a few steps away from Snow as she fussed.

“Shh, little bird...” I said in Gàidhlig to her, the same way my mother used to say it to me. Snow stood and started towards the door, but then he stopped, not turning to face me.

“Early next month, I’ll be reading the card for the Third Quarter Quell. When you come to mentor... bring the child,” he said coolly, as if he’d read my mind earlier, and then he left the office. I held Lark very close against my chest wanting more than anything to protect my sweet little girl. I didn’t want to take her to the Capitol, but my urge to protect her was stronger than my desire to keep her away from Snow and the Capitol. One step out of line and Snow would ensure that my beautiful blonde-haired, silver-eyed girl was sent into the arena the day she turned twelve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why does Snow want Katniss to bring Lark to the Games? What’s going to happen during the Quarter Quell?
> 
> Please review!


	10. The Reading of the Card

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snow announces the Third Quarter Quell. Katniss and Peeta are fearful of mentoring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ‘Thug Mi Gaol’ — Grainne Holland

* * *

**KATNISS POV**

* * *

It was late March now, and Lark was about six weeks old now. Early spring was always one of my favourite times of the year because of the rebirth of the world as it came back to life after the icy grip of winter finally loosened. Peeta and I were enjoying a warm day with Lark seated on a swinging bench in front of our home, Lark nestled in the crook of my arm as my fingers brushed her sweet honey golden hair. She had a lot of hair for a newborn, and I knew that she was going to grow up with that thick, wild hair that Peeta and I both had - a trademark of Hebridean genes. Peeta’s arm was draped around my shoulders, glad that we could find a moment of peace, and I rested my head on his shoulder as we both looked down at the sleeping face of our daughter.

“I want to take her to the meadow soon, when it gets warm enough,” I told him, breaking the serene silence. It was warm on that sunny early spring day, but the breeze still had a biting chill about it.

“I think she’d love that,” Peeta replied, resting his head on top of mine. “Katniss... I was wondering... Have you seen Gale at all?” I was surprised by this question, and I picked up my head to look at him, wondering if he was trying to imply something, but all I saw was genuine curiosity in his eyes.

“Not since before the Victory Tour,” I told him. It felt so long ago now, the Victory Tour, but it had only been almost three months before. Having a baby really did warp one’s concept of time. Peeta nodded, then raised a hand to rub his thumb gently on Lark’s velvet cheek. “Why did you ask me that?”

“I was just wondering, ‘s all. You and him used to be so close and now... now you don’t even talk about him, and I know it’s because of me. I just feel bad that I ruined your friendship.”

“You didn’t do anything to our friendship, Peeta. He ruined it. He couldn’t accept the fact that I didn’t choose him.” Peeta let out a sigh. “What?”

“I want to tell you to try and patch things up with him, but if he doesn’t respect you and your choices then he doesn’t deserve you or your friendship. But if he really cares about you, he’ll apologise.”

“I don’t think I want him to, Peeta. I have a child now, I don’t have time for that kind of behaviour anymore, and if that’s how he’s going to behave then I certainly don’t want him around Lark.” At my raised tone, Lark began to fuss, having woken up from her nap. “Oh, sweetie, Mummy’s sorry, little bird...” She continued to fuss despite both Peeta’s and my attempts at calming her.

“Lark, honey,” Peeta said, giving her one of his fingers, but she wouldn’t take it. “Katniss, why don’t you sing to her? You’ve sang to me before, when I’ve had nightmares... It might calm her.”

“We’re trying to calm her, Peeta, not scare her,” I told him.

“You’re telling the guy who fell in love with you over your singing that you can’t sing?” he asked me, and I looked up at him. “You have a beautiful voice... Sing to her.” I looked back down at Lark, who continued to fuss and cry, and I let out a sigh and cleared my throat, singing an old Gàidhlig tune that I had once sung to Peeta a long time ago.

_ Thug mi gaol, thug mi gaol, _

_ Thug mi gaol do’n fhear bhàn, _

_ Agus gealladh dhutsa luaidh _

_ O cha dual dhomh bhi slàn... _

_ Chaidh am bàta troimh’n a’ chaol _

_ Leis na daoine DiMàirt, _

_ ‘S misa phàigh am faradh daor _

_ Bha mo ghaol air a clàr... _

Peeta and I were entranced by the calming effect my singing seemed to have on our daughter, who stopped fussing and watched me with her beautiful Hebridean storm grey eyes. So entranced, in fact, that we didn’t hear the footsteps that approached us until a second voice joined mine on the refrain.

_ Thug mi gaol, thug mi gaol, _

_ Thug mi gaol do’n fhear bhàn... _

I looked up and met the same Hebridean storm grey eyes of Mellie Mellark, who had joined me on the chorus of the song.

_ Agus gealladh dhutsa luaidh _

_ O cha dual dhomh bhi slàn... _

“My mother used to sing that song to me when I was little,” she said after a moment.

“She was Hebridean,” I said, and Mellie nodded. Peeta stiffened beside me.

“How’d you find that out?” she asked.

“Your sister told me,” I replied.

“It isn’t her business to go around telling people things about me,” Mellie said somewhat bitterly.

“She didn’t specifically say  _ your _ mother was Hebridean, she said  _ her _ mother was Hebridean, and you are her sister, so I drew my own conclusions,” I replied. Mellie nodded, and then looked at her son, who seemed very guarded beside me.

“I used to sing that song to you, too, Peeta,” she said suddenly, and Peeta’s eyes widened. “When you were just a baby, and late at night, when your brothers and your father were asleep...”

“When we were alone,” Peeta said neutrally, and she nodded.

“The song in English is called ‘I Gave My Love To The Fair One’,” she told her son. “I know no amount of apologies will ever make up for how I treated you. There’s no excuse for any of it...”

“Hold on, just a moment, Mellie,” I said, interrupting her, and then I stood up and turned to face my husband. “I’m going to go inside, you and your mother need to have this talk alone.”

“Katniss, no. Anything she has to say to me can and will be said in front of you,” Peeta said sternly, also standing, but I shook my head.

“People hold back when there’s someone else around,” I told him, and I stood on my toes to give him a kiss. “I’ll just be inside, all right?” He sighed, then nodded.

“Can I have her?” he asked, referring to the baby.

“Of course you can,” I told him, and I passed Lark into his arms and then gave him a reassuring smile. “You’ll be okay. I love you, all right? I’ll be inside if you need me.” I glanced at Mellie, who seemed to thank me with her eyes, and then went inside to give mother and son some privacy.

* * *

**PEETA POV**

* * *

I didn’t want to talk to my mother alone, but she seemed determined to speak to me, and Katniss seemed determined to give us time to speak, so I accepted my defeat and agreed to hear my mother out. “Wanna... sit down?” I asked her once Katniss had gone inside, and she nodded, sitting down on the bench and motioning for me to sit down beside her. I hesitated for a moment before joining her on the bench, holding Lark tightly and securely. Mom hadn’t come to see Lark yet, but I hadn’t told Katniss that. She thought that Mom was downstairs the day Lark was born, but really, she didn’t come, and Dad said it was because she didn’t feel right going. Lark was now six weeks old, and she still hadn’t met her paternal grandmother. I’d brought her to the bakery, but every time I had, Mom locked herself in her bedroom claiming she had a headache. This was the first time she’d ever seen Lark, and even now, she wasn’t looking at her granddaughter.

“I know you’re upset I didn’t come when she was born,” she began.

“Dad said you didn’t feel right coming. Is it because Katniss is from the Seam? Or because she’s a refugee, or both?” I said, and she was quiet for a moment. “How can you hate your own kind? You’re half Hebridean, Mom, and all my life, you’ve hated refugees. Why?”

“I’ll get to that part, Peeta... I didn’t come not because Katniss is Seam or a refugee... I didn’t come because I didn’t think you would want me there,” she confessed, and I looked at her with surprise, and also anger for assuming things about me.

“Mom, why the hell would I not want you there? You’re my mother, and this is your granddaughter! Of course I wanted you there and I was very upset that you weren’t!” I told her, probably too harshly, and she sighed.

“I wasn’t the best mother to you, Peeta. I wasn’t a mother at all to you, or to your brothers. I’ve had this talk with them already - after you got reaped for the Games - and now it’s time I had it with you,” she said, and then she looked up at me. “I hurt you, Peeta. I hit you and beat you and insulted you and berated you and I don’t deserve you as a son. Your brothers... they’re not like you. Chris is quiet and more cynical, while Rye can be outright obnoxious and brash... but you, Peeta... You’ve always been so kind to everyone, no matter who they were. You wanted to be everybody’s friend and to you, there was no divide between Seam and merchant. You loved so unconditionally, even when the person didn’t deserve it... just like your father. I used to tell him he was weak for loving so freely and unconditionally, and it wasn’t until I watched you in the Games that I realised I had allowed my biggest fear to come true.”

“What are you talking about?” Mom looked away from me, shame dropping from her eyes.

“I became my father...” I’d never met my maternal grandfather. I knew he was alive when I was young, but he died when I was thirteen. Mom seemed unphased by his death emotionally but she went through the motions like a good merchant woman ought to when her father passed away. I’d thought she was cold and heartless for not caring about her father’s death - at least, I did until this moment.

“Elaborate... please.” I didn’t want to demand an explanation from my mother, but it was clear that there was something about her that I didn’t know. After the hell of a childhood she put me through, I deserved an explanation. She looked up at me

“I want you to understand that there is no excuse for my behaviour towards you, Peeta. I know that. And I know I’ve never really showed it, and I know I always said how I wished you’d been a girl... but I do love you, Peeta. So much. You’re everything I’d always wanted to be when I was a little girl, but I suppose I couldn’t be.” She paused for a moment, then looked back at the ground. “My mother died when I was nine years old. Maidie was eleven, about to turn twelve. It was the year of her first reaping. My father... he’d always been a cold man, but after my mother died, he was worse. He’d hit us occasionally, when my mother wasn’t around, but when she died, there was nothing holding him back. He was abusive, both physically and mentally, and... sexually, too...” I sucked in a small gasp.

“That’s why you looked relieved when he died...”

“Yes... I was finally free of him, completely. At least, I thought I was. He still had his iron grip on me, and that showed when I was raising you and your brothers. I should have fought against it... I should have seen it, seen that I was turning into him. I would never, ever touch any of you the way he touched me and your Aunt Maidie. But I still hit you, all of you... and I can only tell you how sorry I am and beg for your forgiveness.”

“I always thought you hated us, and your life... I know you weren’t Dad’s first choice.”

“That had something to do with my bitterness, yes... and he wasn’t mine either. Trapped in a loveless marriage, silently begging your father to show me even an ounce of the love he held for Agnessa Everdeen... I felt so alone, and then I just kept pushing you and your brothers away... I don’t want to do that anymore, Peeta. I’ve finally recognised who I’ve become and that is not the person that I want to be.” She looked up at me, tears threatening her silver eyes. “Can you ever forgive me?”

“Mom...” I said, seeing for the first time the love in her eyes that I had only ever wished to see as her son, surrounded by the regret she held for never showing it before. “Of course I will. You’re my mother and you always will be.”

“Your brothers can’t...”

“I’m not either one of them.” Cognisant of the sleeping infant in my arms, I scooted closer to my mother on the bench and wrapped my free arm around her, and her arms wrapped tightly around me in a way that I had never known before.

“I’m so sorry, my darling boy... I’m so sorry I was never there,” she muttered through tears into my shoulder.

“It’s okay, Mama. You’re here now, and that’s what’s important,” I told her. When she pulled back to wipe her eyes, I looked down first at Lark in my arms, and then back at my mother. “Do you want to hold your granddaughter?” She smiled and nodded, and I carefully shifted Lark to her waiting arms, and she held my daughter expertly, as only a mother would know how.

“She’s so beautiful, sweetie,” she said to me, looking down at Lark’s beautiful sleeping face. “She looks so much like you.” She looked up at me. “I’m ashamed to say I had my doubts... I know she was always close with the Hawthorne boy... When your father told me she was pregnant, my first thoughts were, ‘it’s not Peeta’s. She doesn’t really love him, she’s only doing this to survive’. But now I know that I was wrong, and I’m glad that I was wrong. I’m sorry I made such an assumption.”

“You weren’t the only one,” I confessed, embarrassed to say I had also thought the same thing when she first told me, until I remembered she had confessed that I was her first. The night Katniss and I got together, after we had made love for the first time, she bled quite a bit, confirming her statement that I had been her first.

“We were both wrong about her, weren’t we?” she asked me, and I nodded. “You did good... I’m glad you’ve found someone that makes you happy. And you’re going to be an excellent father.” She smiled up at me, then looked back down at Lark. “And you, little one, are the luckiest little girl in the world.” Little Lark made a small noise, and Mom and I both shared a chuckle, and then Mom started to sing, picking up where Katniss had left off before. I didn’t realise it, but my mother had a beautiful singing voice, too.

_ ‘S tacain mu’n do laid a’ghrian _

_ Bha mi fiannuis mo ghràidh, _

_ Tha e nis an grùnnd a’ chuain _

_ O, gur fuar àite tàmh. _

_ Thug mi gaol, thug mi gaol, _

_ Thug mi gaol do’n fhear bhàn _

_ Agus gealladh dhutsa luaidh _

_ O cha dual dhomh bhi slàn... _

“Mom... Who was your first love? Before Dad?” I asked her suddenly, breaking her attention from the song. She glanced down at the bed.

“August Douglas,” she replied. “He... He was Seam, and a refugee. My father hated people from the Seam and he hated refugees... He married my mother because he’d gotten her pregnant with Maidie. He was abusive towards her, too... Because of him, I didn’t pursue anything with August Douglas. Instead, I... chased him away...” She was silent for a moment. “I don’t regret it, though. If I had run off with him, you wouldn’t be here, and neither would your beautiful daughter.”

“Is he still alive?” I asked.

“Yeah... Rarely, I’ll see him, but... I know he’s alive. A widower, with three daughters. His oldest daughter is married, and this year will be his second daughter’s final reaping. His youngest is your age.”

“Ailsa Douglas?” I asked her, and she nodded. She looked back down at Lark as more silence passed between us. I felt then that I understood my mother better now than I ever had before. Would I excuse her abusive behaviour? Of course not, not ever - but I understood it. We had both been abused by parental figures, and we had both fallen in love with a refugee from the Seam. Another thing we had in common was that we both had been sexually assaulted, but I would never tell her that. After a moment, she began to sing again.

_ Bha mi ‘bruadar an raoir _

_ A bhi ‘n caoimhneas mo ghràidh _

_ ‘S nuair a thug e rium a chùl _

_ Thuit mo shùilean gu làr... _

_ Thug mi gaol, thug mi gaol _

_ Thug mi gaol do’ fhear bhàn, _

_ Agus gealladh dhutsa luaidh _

_ O cha dual dhomh bhi slàn... _

I sat outside listening to my mother sing to both myself and Lark when she finally had to return back to the bakery for the lunch rush. She gave me a tight hug and promised to come back and visit soon, then gave me a kiss on the cheek and bid me farewell. I went back inside, Lark nestled securely in my arms, and must have startled Katniss, who was sitting on the couch looking flushed with one of the large couch pillows over her lap. Underneath the other large couch pillow, a cloth that looked the colour of the pants she had been wearing poked out. “You okay?” I asked her, an eyebrow raised.

“Yeah! How was the talk with your mother?” she asked me, a quick pace to her tone. I smiled cheekily as I realised what I had almost walked in on her doing and chuckled gently.

“Good. I’ll tell you more later,” I told her. “You sure you’re okay?”

“I’m perfectly fine,” she said, her cheeks red from embarrassment.

“I guess one would be after having an orgasm,” I said, teasing her, and her eyes went wide.

“Peeta!” she hissed, humiliated at having been caught, and then she looked away and lowered her tone. “I didn’t even get to that point...”

“You want help?”

“...it’d be nice... We haven’t been... together... since before Lark was born...” It was true. The last time we had been even remotely sexually intimate was when we were in the bathtub together when she had gone into labour, and that only lasted for about twenty seconds before we were interrupted.

“Then we should do something about that. Let me go put Lark down in her room. Meet me in the bedroom?” She nodded, and I then made my way upstairs to put Lark down in her crib in her room. When I went into mine and Katniss’s bedroom, I found it empty. “Katniss?” I called.

“Come back downstairs, Peeta!” I heard Katniss call out to me. Confused, I followed her voice into the kitchen, and I nearly came in my pants at the sight that met me. On the counter, partially covered in flour, was Katniss fully nude. My jaw fell to the floor and my pants tightened immensely at the sight, and she chuckled seductively, beckoning me to come towards her with her finger. I did as I was told, my eyes still as wide as they were when I first saw her.

“You... holy shit...” I muttered, my hands twitching, unsure of where to touch her first.

“You haven’t baked anything in awhile... Why don’t you put those baker’s hands to work, Mr. Mellark?” she said to me, and then she scrunched up her face. “Peeta... If I call you ‘Mr. Mellark’ when we’re fucking in flour, I can’t help but think about your father.” I let out a laugh, and then I took her face in my hands and captured her lips in a passionate kiss.

“Are you sure it’s not still too soon?” I asked her quietly, moving my lips to her neck to kiss it.

“Mmm... positive... Believe me, I tested my theory and it doesn’t hurt to put anything in there anymore,” she told me.

“How long have you been testing this theory?” I asked her, now kissing her behind her ear.

“Too long...” she said breathlessly. “Enough talk, Peeta. I want you to make love to me.” I chuckled, then kissed my way back to her lips.

“Gladly,” I whispered, and we both shelled off my clothes and I took her right there on the counter, the two of us covered in flour.

* * *

**KATNISS POV**

* * *

The first day of April was the day that President Snow would read the card that would announce the Third Quarter Quell. Every Quell, there was some twist to the Games that made them even more sick, more violent and a deeper cut in the backs of the districts. The First Quarter Quell, in 2110, the twist was that the districts had to vote who their tributes would be. The tributes from District Twelve that year were Sade Holland and Evie Pierce, both from the Seam, and the Victor that year had been District Three’s Cormac Roche, who was still alive. The Second Quarter Quell, in 2135, the twist had been that each district would send four tributes instead of two. The tributes from twelve had been Flint Darwin, Terra Callaghan, Maysilee Donner and Haymitch, and Haymitch had been the victor. This year, we couldn’t even imagine the sick twist that would plague the districts yet again.

It was six in the evening when Peeta and I were seated in the living room, Peeta sketching away and I feeding Lark from my breast, when the television came on, and both Peeta and I turned our attention to it. I grabbed a blanket to cover myself up, not wanting my breast or my child exposed when President Snow’s image appeared on the screen.

“Ladies and gentleman,” the President began, quieting the rowdy crowd of Capitolites that cheered as he approached the podium. “This is the seventy-fifth year... of the Hunger Games.” Another cheer from the crowd, only quieter. “It was written in the charter of the Games that every twenty-five years, there would be a Quarter Quell, to keep fresh, for each new generation, the memory of those who died in the uprising against the Capitol. Each Quarter Quell is distinguished by Games of a special significance. And now, on this day, the seventy-fifth anniversary of the defeat of the rebellion, we celebrate the Third Quarter Quell.” There was another cheer, and Peeta and I exchanged a look before turning our attention back to the screen. “As a reminder of the importance of producing offspring to serve as tributes in future Hunger Games, for the Third Quarter Quell Games, the male and female tributes... are to be accompanied by their mothers in the arena.” I let out a gasp, covering my mouth in shock and disturbing Lark, who unlatched from my breast and began to cry. Peeta looked at me, then dropped his sketchbook and left his chair to sit beside me and pull me into his arms. “Like always, there will be one victor, whether it be mother or child.” I felt tears streaming down my cheeks at the thought of this - this was personal, a warning to remind me that I would always be under Snow’s thumb. I wasn’t going into the arena, but I would have four tributes - a mother and her daughter, and a mother and her son.

“This is sick,” Peeta whispered. “How could they do this?” I didn’t answer him. Instead, I held Lark tightly against my chest as she cried. Peeta held us both tightly, pressing his lips to my temple. The television automatically went off when the announcement was over and Peeta and I sat in silence for a long while, until a knock sounded at our door. Peeta stood up to get it while I shifted Lark and fixed my shirt to cover my exposed breast, and then both Peeta and Haymitch entered the living room.

“So... First year of mentorin’ is a Quarter Quell. How’s that feel?” Haymitch asked us, but neither of us answered him. He plopped down in our armchair and Peeta resumed his spot beside me.

“How can they pit mothers and children against each other, Haymitch?” Peeta asked suddenly.

“How can they do anything they’ve done in the last seventy-five years, boy?” Haymitch asked him, and Peeta silenced.

“How do we get through this?” he asked instead.

“You just do. Accept the fact that your tributes ain’t comin’ back and get ready to do it all over again,” said Haymitch, taking a sip from his flask. “Try not to think about the fact that they’re just kids...”

“How do we face the families of children that we don’t bring home?” I chimed in, the first I’d spoken since the Quell was announced.

“They don’t blame you. They can’t. They know how mentorin’ works. They know the mentors can’t do nothin’ for their kids without sponsorships and they know sponsors don’t sponsor kids from the higher districts,” said Haymitch. “Didn’t you take Hunger Games 101? Ain’t it a requirement in school? They explain all that shit so everyone knows the drill.”

“We take it the year we turn twelve, Haymitch,” Peeta told him.

“Snow wants me to bring Lark to the Capitol,” I suddenly said, and Haymitch and Peeta both looked at me.

“He  _ what? _ ” Peeta asked me, having not known this information. I didn’t tell him that Snow had visited. “When did he tell you this?”

“He came to visit, shortly after she was born,” I told him.

“And you didn’t think to tell me this? Katniss, she’s my daughter, too. I want to protect her just as much as you do!” Peeta snapped at me, angry I’d kept that information from him. “What else did he tell you?”

“That we have to have another baby within two years,” I replied.

“That’s kind of something I need to know, Katniss! You need me to make that baby,” he said sternly, and he let go of me and stood, stalking off to the kitchen. I didn’t say a word; I only sat in silence.

“Anythin’ else, sweetheart?” Haymitch asked me, and I glanced up at him.

“That the Capitol is going to select a list of names that we have to choose from to name our next child,” I replied. “Nothing else.”

“So we don’t even get to  _ choose _ our child’s name!” I heard Peeta shout from the kitchen, and I closed my eyes, trying to stop the tears from falling.

“I’m sorry, Peeta! Please stop yelling at me!” I shouted back, the tears now evident in the crack in my voice. Peeta re-emerged, standing in the doorway to the living room.

“No,  _ I’m  _ sorry that I’m upset that you don’t trust me enough to mention any of that to me,” he told me bitterly.

“That’s not the reason at all, Peeta! It just slipped my mind! Peeta, I’m so tired all of the time, I was going to tell you but I just forgot! Peeta, please!” I reached out to him with my free hand, and he let out a sigh, the anger in his eyes dissipating as he took my hand and rejoined me on the couch. “I’m so sorry...”

“It’s okay,” he said back, not wrapping an arm around me but not letting go of my hand either.

“This little spat over?” Haymitch asked us, and Peeta nodded. “Right. Y’all got different expectations on you than the rest of us mentors got. I need a few days to figure ‘em out, and when I do, I’ll let y’all know. In the meantime, have fun bein’ parents to kiddo, here.” We watched as he took another swig of his flask, and then he sauntered out, leaving the door wide open and letting in the chill. Peeta huffed irritably and got up to close the door, and then he stood in the doorway to the living room.

“Guess I’ll start dinner,” he said neutrally, and then he disappeared into the kitchen.

* * *

**PEETA POV**

* * *

That night, as we lay in bed, Katniss and I lay on our backs not saying a word to each other. We didn’t speak through dinner, and we said goodnight to Lark separately before we climbed into our own bed. Every so often, I heard a quiet whimper come from Katniss’s direction, as if she were trying not to cry, and I sighed and turned my head to look at her. “It’s going to be all right, Katniss... We’ll get through this. We have each other,” I told her, and she turned her head to look at me, her eyes glistening in the moonlight.

“Are we okay?” she whispered to me, and I gave her a soft smile.

“Of course we are. I’m not upset. I was supposed to tell you about the Capitol wanting to name Lark, too, but I forgot. I’m sorry I wasn’t there when Snow summoned you,” I told her.

“You were here asleep, I didn’t want to wake you...” She looked back at the ceiling. “I don’t think I can do this, Peeta.”

“We have to, Katniss. We don’t have a choice.” I heard her sniffle, so I shifted onto my side and pulled her close against my chest, and she wrapped her arms around me tightly and buried her face into my chest.

“I can’t kill anymore children...”

“You’re not the one killing them. You’re not the one sending them into the arena. Honey, none of this is you... You’re just the one with experience who’s going to try your best to bring one of those kids home. And we will. We’re going to give all of our tributes every opportunity we can give them until we have one left, and then we’ll work like hell to bring them home.”

“But we’ll have to choose... Haymitch had to choose, every year...”

“He chose you, yes.” She raised her head to look at me.

“But... but he liked you better...”

“But he knew you could actually win, and you did. You’re a survivor, Katniss, and he could recognise that immediately. I told him to pick you.”

“Peeta...”

“Don’t get upset with me, Katniss. We both ended up winning and there’s nothing we can do to change the past now. We’re together, we’re in love, we have a beautiful daughter, and we’re safe from the arena.” She sniffled, then nestled into my chest once again.

“Are we?”

“I hope so...” I kissed the top of her head and rubbed her back gently, then she picked her head up again.

“Peeta... can we... take our clothes off?” she asked me, and I let out a sigh.

“If I’m being honest, the Quarter Quell announcement has ruined my sex drive for the night,” I replied, running my fingers through her hair.

“Not for sex... for comfort... One of the things we tell new mothers to do for their newborns is to do skin-to-skin contact. You know, the baby wearing nothing but a diaper on the mother’s bare chest... It’s very comforting, and good for bonding,” she told me, and I nodded.

“Okay. We can do that,” I replied, and at a regular pace, we both removed our clothes until I was fully nude and she was still in her underwear, which I eyed curiously.

“I... I’m still bleeding, just a little... It happens after childbirth. It’s called lochia.” My eyes went wide. “Only a little, I’m spotting just a little, although... I am due to... bleed regularly... again very soon...” My eyes were still wide, and she gave me a gentle smile. “It’s normal, love, and happens to every woman. It’ll happen to Lark someday, too.”

“I don’t want to think of that!” I exclaimed, closing my eyes, and I heard Katniss laugh. “She’s only six weeks old, I don’t want my little girl growing up too fast.”

“Don’t worry, she’ll still be living with us when she’s thirty, thanks to our experiences,” she told me, and she curled up in my arms again, our bare chests pressing against each other. I ran a finger down her bare back, and I sighed in content.

“You’re right... this is extremely comforting...” I mumbled peacefully. I felt her kiss my collarbone and she tightened her grip on me, and she managed to fall into a rather light sleep. I, on the other hand, struggled to fall asleep, but I didn’t move in fear of waking her. She slept so little with the baby, so I stroked her bare skin with my fingers. It was nice, actually, to sleep in the nude with her. She was certainly right about this skin-to-skin contact thing. There was nothing sexual about it, just intimacy, and being intimate in a way with her in which we just held each other close was something that I, being a teenage boy, didn’t think would be possible. I didn’t have an erection, and I doubt she was aroused, either. It was like sitting on the porch listening to the rain fall - a gentle pitter-patter on the ground, with low rumbling thunder off in the distance, the smell of the rain falling in the woods overtaking the atmosphere. Or even like sitting on the beach listening to the waves crash onto the shore, the smell of salt permeating the air. It was soothing to lie there nude and in the arms of the love of my life, who was also nude. I smiled to myself, then kissed the top of her head and closed my eyes to fall asleep.

Until Lark’s cries cut the silence and woke up both Katniss and me.

* * *

**EPSILON POV**

* * *

We were in another meeting, but this time, on the screen was Theta, who was using signal blockers that Iota had given him - this way, the Capitol couldn’t spy on our meeting and find out what we were really up to. On a separate screen was Beta, who was currently in the Capitol undercover. “What’s the status update for the Mockingjay?” Alpha asked Theta.

“She had the kid,” he said. “She’s protectin’ that thing like it’s a bag of glass.” I looked over at Eta, who was watching Theta on the screen. I hadn’t realised how similar they looked until I observed her.

“So she’s useless to us,” said Alpha.

“No, she ain’t useless, she’s scared for the life of her kid. Mothers will do a whole lot to keep their kid safe. You won’t  _ believe _ the amount of times I’ve been begged by mothers to keep their kid alive. Bribed, offered sex... the list goes on. The Mockingjay will still be the Mockingjay, but we gotta give her a reason to fight,” said Theta.

“So killing President Snow won’t be enough for her?” said Alpha coldly, and Theta sighed.

“I don’t think this one’s a killer, but she’s a fighter. The shit she’s done for this kid... Hell, the shit  _ both _ of ‘em have done for this kid.” He let out a sigh. “We’ll think of somethin’. I’ll be seein’ Iota and Kappa soon, and until then, we’ll keep on plannin’.”

“We have to find a way to show her that winning this fight, in the long run, will be worth fighting for more than it's worth it to bow down to Snow’s every whim. She’s very clever and she’s very stubborn. I know when she’s been beaten down. Zeta and I can both tell you that,” I chimed in, and Zeta nodded along with me. Alpha let out a frustrated huff.

“Figure it out soon. I wanted this war to end a long time ago,” she said coldly.

“The people of the districts are still following her. I know, I’ve been out there. They know she’s been beaten down. It’s obvious, isn’t it? She was pregnant on the Tour. Everyone in the districts saw it. Everyone in the districts knows what it’s like to fear the reaping and knows what it’s like to fear the reaping for your child. They’ll never believe that her fires have fully gone out,” I said back to her rather boldly.

“I don’t think her fires have gone out,” said Eta. “She’s just subdued. Beaten down by Snow.”

“Thank you, Eta. We’ll figure something out, even if I have to infiltrate the district and tell her myself,” I said.

I hoped I didn’t have to do that, as it was extremely risky. I knew that Katniss was being very closely watched, because Snow feared her. He feared her fires, which was why he tried to quell them, but Katniss was stubborn as hell, and Snow recognised that. “You can’t come to Twelve, boy! Snow’s got very close eyes on that girl! I’ll be in touch with Kappa, you know that kid’s got a way with words. He and the boy will chat it up good and he’ll plant seeds in the boy’s head. The boy’s the one that we have to rely on to feed them fires you’re talkin’ about. He’s the only one she’ll ever listen to, and even that’s barely. I’ve had these blockers on too long, I gotta go before they figure something’s up.” With that said, Theta left the meeting, and Alpha eyed me suspiciously.

“I hope you’re not letting your feelings get in the way of the mission,” she said to me.

“Of course not. I know she’s got fight left in her. She’s who you want. When she speaks, even the birds stop to listen to her,” I told Alpha.

“Mum always said it was like she was one of the birds, and the birds would always listen to her as if she were their leader,” Zeta chimed in. “Trust us, she’s the one you want.”

“Very well, but my patience is wearing thin,” said Alpha, and once again, the meeting was concluded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you were Peeta, would you forgive Mellie? How will this sick twist affect Katniss? Will Peeta and Katniss find conflicting ways of trying to protect Lark?
> 
> Please review!


	11. The Reaping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tributes for the Quarter Quell are reaped. Katniss and Peeta mingle a little with the tributes.

* * *

**PEETA POV**

* * *

The day before the reaping was finally upon us - the third of July, 2160. Katniss and I had now almost been together for a full year, and in that year, we met officially, made love, almost died, managed to survive a deadly child-killing game, fell in love, got married twice, sacrificed so much for each other and had a baby. Quite a lot for one year. On the day before the reaping for the Quarter Quell, Katniss and I went to the woods together with Lark, strapping her to the front of my chest as we made our way through the woods. It had been a couple of hours of traipsing through the woods when I stopped her. “Katniss, where are we going?” I asked her, my legs sore from all that hiking.

“You’ll see,” she told me, taking my hand. “It’s not much farther now.” Another twenty minutes of walking and Katniss stopped beside a rather large bush. “Close your eyes,” she told me, and I did, and I felt her take my hands and lead me through the bush. There was a hard rocky surface underneath my feet now and she pushed me from behind until she stopped me by gripping my shoulders. “All right, open them.” And I did.

The sight that met me was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. Before me was a body of water - a lake, as it was called in geography class - surrounded by the mountains of District Twelve. It was a deep blue colour, flat until the wind blew and rippled the surface. My god, was it incredible. I knew now why Katniss had wanted me to bring my sketchbook so badly. She sat down on the rock, and then I sat down beside her, lifting Lark out of the little harness that we had made out of one of Katniss’s scarves and passing her to her mother to feed her. Lark was now a little under five months old and full of giggles and laughs and smiles. She was a very happy baby, and she knew she was adored by both of her parents. She had a mess of honey golden curls on her head and the prettiest stormy grey eyes of anyone I’d ever seen, save for her mother, and it was clear that she had the Mellark smile.

“This is the lake my uncle took me to several times before he died. He taught me to swim here, and I wanted to share that with you and Lark. Hopefully one day, we can teach her to swim... and you, too,” said Katniss, and I chuckled.

“Only if you want to see a disaster,” I told her. “It’s really beautiful... Maybe after the Games, we can come back and you can teach me.”

“Maybe...” A moment of silence passed, and Lark fussed a little in Katniss’s arms. She pulled down her tank top to expose her breast and held Lark against it, and Lark latched on hungrily and suckled. “I don’t want to take her to the Capitol,” Katniss said suddenly.

“I don’t, either,” I replied. “I don’t want you ever setting foot in the Capitol again.”

“That’ll never happen. All victors are required to go to the Capitol whether they’re mentoring or not,” Katniss replied. “I just... I just wish Snow would leave Lark alone. I don’t trust him. He’s going to want something from her since she’s safe from the reaping.”

“If I have anything to say about it, he’ll never lay his filthy hands on her,” I told her.

“...he already has...”

“What?”

“He demanded I let him hold her, when he came to visit when she was two weeks old...”

“And you didn’t tell me _why?_ ” I demanded.

“I was afraid you’d be angry with me... I didn’t want to risk him taking away his promise to spare our children from the reaping if I didn’t let him hold her.” I let out a sigh.

“No more secrets, Katniss. Okay? Especially if they involve our daughter. If someone so much as looks at her, I want to know who it was. I want to know the names of everyone in the Capitol who holds her and I want to know why.” Yes, I was a hypocrite by telling her ‘no more secrets’, but knowing what I did to protect her bargain with Snow would hurt her and anger her more than what it’s worth, so it was safe to keep that information from her.

“Peeta...”

“You’re not the only one fighting to protect her, Katniss. She’s my daughter, too, not just yours. I want to keep her safe as much as you do.”

“I know... I’m sorry. I don’t want anyone in the Capitol to hold her, I don’t trust anyone.”

“Neither do I.” I let out a sigh, then scooted closer to her and brushed a curl out of Lark’s face. “A year ago today, I never thought I’d be where I am today. Didn’t think I’d get reaped, didn’t think I’d marry the girl of my dreams, didn’t think I’d have a beautiful little girl...” Katniss smiled as she watched our daughter feed from her breast. “Do you think we’d still be here? If Prim’s name hadn’t been called and I hadn’t been reaped?”

“Probably not where we are currently, but... I do think we would have happened anyway,” Katniss replied, and then she looked up at me. “Remember I told you that? Eventually, one of us would have worked up the courage to properly speak to the other, or Madge would have initiated something. She knew I... watched you, sometimes... I knew she had some sort of trick up her sleeve. She told me at school, before the reaping that if we both survived it, she’d plan some big surprise for me, and I have a feeling that that ‘surprise’ would have been forcing us to meet.”

“My childhood friend, Delly Cartwright, was planning something similar, only she wasn’t calling it a surprise. She said she was going to find a way to make us talk to each other.”

“I would have liked to see that. I wasn’t as friendly as I am now. You brought that out in me.” She looked back down at Lark. “You brought back the version of me that died along with my family...” I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple, then rested my head on hers. “How are we going to get through the reaping? Two children and their mothers are going into the arena... What if one of them is Prim? And Agnessa?”

“It won’t be, Katniss. Snow said part of the deal was he wouldn’t rig the reaping against Prim, and she has only three slips of paper in that bowl. There’s so many more names that could be chosen over hers.”

“That’s what I told her last year. She had one slip of paper in there then, and that was the one that came out.”

“I know... and I had sixteen compared to your what, forty something? And your name wasn’t drawn.”

“But Prim’s was.”

“It won’t happen again. I promise you it won’t.”

“But what if it does?”

“Katniss, it won’t.” She let out a sigh, and Lark detached herself from Katniss’s breast. Katniss adjusted her shirt again and held Lark up over her shoulder, gently patting her back.

“It’s not going to be easy, is it? Watching our tributes die...”

“We won’t have the same mentality as Haymitch. We’re going to try our best to get those kids out of there. Maybe after us, District Twelve will have more sponsors. And I’ll talk to people and get the sponsors - maybe Lark can help with that, too. People in the Capitol seem fascinated with our lives.”

“None of them are holding my child.”

“ _Our_ child, and no, I won’t let anyone hold her, but maybe her being there can help us get sponsors for our tributes.” It was Katniss’s turn to sigh, and she lowered Lark down to her lap. I gave her one of my fingers, which she gripped excitedly and giggled. “We’ll get through this... I know we can.”

“You said you had sixteen entries...” Katniss said, breaking a moment of silence. “We get one entry our first year, two the next, then three, then four and then five. We were sixteen, you should have had fifteen. Why did you have sixteen entries?” I let out a sigh.

“When I was thirteen, we... we weren’t doing well. Merchants struggle too, sometimes, contrary to popular belief. I took it upon myself to... to sign up for tessera that year, so we could supply the bakery...” I confessed.

“Peeta, how could you do that?”

“I got chewed out for it later. It was one of the few times I thought my mother might actually have held some kind of love for me, before we got better, but it was too late. Once you sign up, you can’t just take it back, so we used it, of course, but I was made to promise that I would never do it again.”

“You’re too good for this damn world,” Katniss told me, then she leaned her head against my shoulder. I rested my head on top of hers and we sat there together for quite a while, just enjoying the serenity of the lake while Lark either sat or napped in our arms.

The reaping was upon us the next day. Our prep teams came early in the morning to get us camera-ready, and we were informed that Katniss would be holding Lark with her onstage, so Lark had her own prep team. Katniss had her three members, and since I was so low-maintenance by Capitol standards, my two-person prep team divided up, one tending to me and the other tending to Lark. Katniss wasn’t happy about some Capitolite touching our daughter, but I had known Freesia, the member of my prep team who prepped Lark, since I was in the Games the previous year, and between her and Enyo, Freesia was definitely more trustworthy. We were then driven to the Justice Building to wait until it was time for the District Twelve reaping, of which we would stand onstage beside Haymitch. The previous year, Haymitch had stumbled onstage and fallen off, but this year, I personally made sure he was sober enough to maintain a decent appearance onstage. If I wanted to try and get more sponsors for our tributes, we needed to maintain a certain look, and Haymitch sloppily staggering around the stage making us the laughingstock of the country wasn’t going to cut it.

The mayor went into the same speech he gives every year about the Treaty of Treason and the reason for the Hunger Games, and then Effie came out dressed in an orange monarch butterfly dress to speak about the Capitol and show the same video we watch every year, and then when the video ended, she smiled cheerfully. “Now, it is time to select the tributes for this year’s Hunger Games! May the odds be ever in your favour! As always, ladies first...” Katniss stilled beside me, her arms holding Lark tightly against her, and I turned my head slightly to glance at her. Effie reached into the bowl and pulled out a folded slip of paper, opening and smiling as she read the name. “Penelope Ruewood and Thelma Ruewood.”

A fourteen-year-old girl, dark-haired with her hair in two braids, was brought up to the stage, along with her mother, who was brought over from the section where mothers of eligible children stood. The mother was middle-aged, with dark hair like her daughter, and looking frail. Penelope was thin, too, being a Seam girl, and I had a strong feeling that she and her mother both were never going to make it. Beside me, Katniss let out a gentle sigh of relief - Prim was safe for another year, and so was Agnessa. My family was safe, too, with me, the youngest, being the only one still technically of reaping age at seventeen, Rye having aged out the previous year, and I wasn’t even eligible anymore as a mentor.

“And now, the boys,” said Effie, and she reached into the big glass bowl for another name. Katniss stilled again, worried for the Hawthorne family. Gale’s oldest younger brother, Rory, was Prim’s age at thirteen, and he had to take out tesserae this year, but that was no guarantee that he’d be selected. If he was, Katniss would lose both him and Gale’s mother, Hazelle, who was an absolute sweetheart. I didn’t know them as well as Katniss had, but I still feared for them as Effie unfolded the paper and read out the name. “Sage Darcy and Eliza Darcy.” Another Seam name.

Sage Darcy was seventeen years old and he looked a little stronger than Penelope. He was known for doing a bit of hard labour around the district with his father, when he wasn’t in the mines, so he likely had a better shot of winning than Penelope and her mother did. Sage’s mother, Eliza, however, was also a bit on the frail side, and she had a nasty cough. Eliza Darcy wasn’t going to last long in the arena at all, and if another tribute didn’t kill her then whatever illness she had probably would.

When the tributes were saying their goodbyes to friends and family, Katniss, Haymitch and I made our way to the train station to say goodbye to our families. Well, Haymitch boarded the train to get a drink and Effie went up to keep an eye on him, while Katniss and I said goodbye to our families. “It won’t be forever. We’re definitely coming back this time,” I told Prim, who was hugging me tightly after hugging Katniss. My father was currently holding Lark and he and my mother were saying their goodbyes to her.

“It’s still scary to think of you all going to the Capitol. And Lark, too,” Prim told me.

“Are you two sure it’s smart to bring Lark?” Agnessa asked us, not knowing why we were really bringing her with us.

“Victors bring their children with them,” Katniss lied, and I nodded in agreement.

“It’s a requirement to bring your children with you when you’re a victor,” I chimed in. Dad handed Lark off to Mom and he approached me, then pulled me in for a tight hug.

“You do what you can for those kids, son... I know you’ll do good by them,” he told me.

“I will, Dad. I’ll try my best,” I told him, squeezing him back, and he kissed the side of my head before pulling back from the embrace and giving me a smile and a squeeze of my shoulders, and then turned to Katniss to give her a tight hug, too.

“Bring me back something fancy from the Capitol,” Rye told me, giving me a rough pat on the back before pulling me in for a tight hug. “Take care of her, little brother, your kid,” he whispered into my ear.

“I will,” I told him, and he pulled back to smile at me and ruffle my hair. Mom then approached me next and handed Lark back to me, and then she pulled me into a hug.

“You be careful out there,” she told me quietly.

“I will, Mama,” I said back. Our relationship had improved immensely, although there were still moments where she yelled at me if I made a mistake. She always apologised after and went upstairs to the apartment above the bakery out of embarrassment, but she was doing better. My brothers followed my lead in repairing their relationships with her as well, although they’d probably never see her as a mother. To them, she was just some relative that had always been mean to them but had a change of heart, and my mother unfortunately had to accept that, but to me, she was my mother, and I did love and treat her as such. I gave her a kiss on the cheek and let her say another final goodbye to Lark, and then we were ushered onto the train, as the tributes were about to join us. I held Lark securely in my arms and Katniss gripped my arm tightly, and Effie fussed over Haymitch’s appearance just before the tributes stepped onto the train. I still wasn’t ready to meet them, but the time to prepare was over as the tributes stepped onto the train.

* * *

**KATNISS POV**

* * *

I observed the four tributes standing before me, all of them looking nervous and frightened - well, all but Sage, who looked hard and neutral. Was this how we had looked last year, when we thought we had no hope of surviving? I wanted so badly for us to bring all four of them home, but I knew that after the stunt Peeta and I had pulled, they weren’t going to allow two tributes to come home again. The gamemaker who had, Seneca Crane, was now dead because of his change of heart, and the new one likely wasn’t going to make the same mistake that he did. Only one tribute was coming home this time, and it likely wasn’t going to be any of the four standing in front of me. The eight of us - Effie, Haymitch, Peeta, myself, Penelope, Thelma, Sage and Eliza - all stared at each other in silence until a belch from Haymitch broke the silence, and Peeta looked at him with a huff. He then turned to the four tributes, handing Lark to me and stepping forward to reach out a hand.

“Hi there,” he started. “Welcome, I guess, and uh... I’m... very sorry this has happened to you.”

“Are you really?” Sage asked suddenly, startling us both. Peeta looked at him - Sage was in our year and was our age, and he was always quiet in school.

“Of course we are. We were you last year, we know what it’s like to be in your shoes,” Peeta replied.

“But you came back alive. We probably won’t be. People don’t care about District Twelve,” Sage replied bitterly.

“And we’re hoping to change that,” I chimed in quietly, and Sage directed his glare at me.

“Is it really appropriate to bring a baby to the Hunger Games?” he asked.

“Capitol requirement,” Peeta told him. “Have a seat, if you want advice.”

“I _don’t_ want advice. I want to spend whatever time I have left with my mother,” Sage replied.

“Sage,” Eliza said, her hand on her son’s arm. “Don’t give up hope yet... You’re going home, I’ll make sure of it.”

“No I’m not! None of us are!” Sage spat back. “Where is my room? I don’t want to be around any of you.”

“I’ll take you to it,” said Effie, concerned about his behaviour, and she led him out of the car.

“I... I’m sorry, about his behaviour,” Eliza said to us.

“Happens sometimes,” said Haymitch. “People get angry when they’re bein’ sent off to die. At least none of y’all ain’t criers.”

“Haymitch,” I said to him, warning him to shut his mouth, and he made a face at her.

“Why don’t you all go off to your rooms, then? It’s been a stressful morning and we’ve got a couple of days before we arrive in the Capitol... We can talk over dinner,” Peeta said, and the remaining tributes were escorted off to their rooms. I sat down in a chair - the same chair that Peeta and I had sat in when we were tributes the previous year, and held Lark on my lap. “This is going to be difficult, isn’t it?”

“The girl don’t seem so bad, but the boy might be a problem,” Haymitch said. “Don’t worry, that ego will get him killed off quickly.”

“ _Haymitch!_ ” I hissed at him. “That is _not_ the mentality we’re choosing to have!”

“It’s the Hunger Games, sweetheart. It is what it is,” Haymitch replied, and he sauntered off to God knew where. With a sigh, Peeta sat down beside me, and I passed Lark over to him. She went after his nose with her tiny hand and he kissed her little fingers, making her giggle.

“This is going to be harder to get through than I thought,” he told me. “How are we gonna save these kids? Penelope hasn’t said a word, Sage has pretty much decided that he hates us, and both of their mothers are frail and ill! And Haymitch is even more hopeless than he was last year! We’re not bringing anyone home this year...”

“I don’t know...” I told him. “We’ll figure it out as we go, I suppose. We can’t give up on them, even if they seem hopeless. We didn’t want Haymitch to give up on us, so we can’t give up on them.”

“You’re right... We’ll do what we can... but if Sage makes one more asshole remark, I’ll punch him.”

“No, you won’t. Imagine how bad it’ll look for a mentor to punch his tribute.”

“It’d make me feel better.” I couldn’t hold back the chuckle I let out. “He doesn’t respect us at all, Katniss. I’m serious.”

“He’s our age, Peeta. To him, we’re just kids from his class. Maybe he’ll listen to Haymitch better.”

“Yeah, as if Haymitch will be any help. He’s already given up.”

“He gave up on us until we showed him we weren’t worth giving up on. We’ll make sure these kids do that, too,” I told him, placing one of my hands on his knees. I then sighed. “I wish I could say the same about the mothers... I know what it’s like to lose a mother in a violent manner...”

“I can’t imagine losing mine like that. It must have been so awful,” Peeta told me, placing one hand over mine. Lark was sitting on his lap grabbing at his fingers, wanting to put them in her mouth, but Peeta’s hand was firmly around her midsection. She fussed just a little, and as she bounced on Peeta’s lap, I could have sworn I saw a flash of white in her mouth. With a finger, I opened her mouth and noticed a bit of white sticking out of her bottom gum - her first tooth.

“Blimey, look! Her first tooth’s coming in!” I exclaimed, and Peeta looked down to see for himself.

“Look at that, sweetie! You’ve got your first tooth!” he said, bending down to kiss the top of her head.

“No wonder feeding her has been more painful,” I said. “I should see if I can get her an ice ring or something to suck on, I can imagine she’s in pain.” I stood up and kissed Peeta’s forehead, then went off in search of something I could freeze for my daughter. Just the thought of Lark hitting one of many milestones was enough to pacify my thoughts only for a little while, but they always went back to the fact that I wasn’t going to get any of these kids, or their mothers, out.

* * *

**PEETA POV**

* * *

When we arrived in the Capitol, the tributes were ushered off to be prepared for the chariot parade, while Katniss, Haymitch and I were ushered off to Victors’ Hotel to settle in and get changed. As the previous year’s Victors, Katniss and I were obligated to stay in the Victors’ Suite, the same place where I had satisfied all of Snow’s buyers who had paid to see our wedding night. It hurt to be in that room, and the discomfort must have shown on my face because Katniss placed a hand on my shoulder and rubbed it gently. “You okay, _mo ghaol?_ ” she asked me, and I quickly hid my uncomfortable expression with a pained smile.

“Yeah,” I said. “It’s just... not home...”

“Oh, I can understand that,” Katniss replied, and she gave me a gentle kiss on the cheek before placing a chaste kiss on my lips. “I’m going to get Lark settled down for her nap. Haymitch wants to stay back for the chariot parade, now that he’s not the only mentor, so he offered to keep an eye on her.”

“Doesn't Snow want her at all the events?” I asked her, confused.

“The parade doesn’t feature the mentors, so I’m sure it’ll be all right. Besides, she’s fussy right now and needs to rest. She didn’t like the motion of the train,” she told me, and she went to the next room to put Lark down for a nap. Shortly after, Haymitch joined us, a filthy laugh on his face.

“Y’all should head on down to the Lounge, it’s a great time,” he said to me through laughter.

“Why aren’t you down there?” I asked him.

“I had enough of them fuckers, but don’t worry, I’ll be seein’ plenty of ‘em. You and the girl go on down, I’ll watch the kid,” he replied.

“Katniss is putting her down for a nap right now but I’ll go tell her,” I told him. Katniss didn’t really want to go down to the lounge, but I talked her into it anyway - or rather, kissed her into it, because I apparently ‘kissed her so damn good, she doesn’t want to leave my side so she can keep demanding those kisses’. When we got to the elevator, Katniss shoved me up against the wall and practically shoved her tongue down my throat, and of course, I wasn’t complaining - that is, until it stopped on the floor of the lounge and the door opened, revealing us to everyone who was near it. “Katniss... Katniss... people... watching... us...” I said between her kisses, and she finally stopped, turning around and blushing a furious shade of pink.

“Shouldn’t have said anything. Wouldn’t have minded the show,” said Johanna Mason rather snidely, and a couple other mentors chuckled. Katniss glared at her, and I took her hand and led her out of the elevator.

“Nice to see you again, too, Johanna,” I said to her as we walked past her, and I led Katniss straight to the bar.

“I can’t drink, it’ll get into my milk and then I can’t feed Lark!” Katniss said to me as we arrived.

“All right, two juices please,” I said to the bartender, who obliged. “One thing Haymitch said we should do is make friends with these people. They’re the only ones who have any idea of what we went through.”

“I don’t want to make any more friends. I’m not good at it,” Katniss told me.

“You and Glitter Pash seemed to get along well. There she is over there, why don’t we go and talk to her?” I suggested, pointing out Glitter Pash sitting by herself sipping a drink as she watched the recap of the reapings, but Katniss shook her head. “What about Annie Cresta? You guys seemed to like each other, speaking the same language and all.”

“I don’t think it’s safe to speak Gàidhlig here...” Katniss replied, taking a sip from her drink.

“Katniss, honey, I love you, but you’ve got to help me mingle with these people. I can’t meet all of them in a day. One of the things Haymitch told me about mentoring was that we had to befriend the other mentors, get them to like us so that way they could talk up our tributes if they lose theirs to get sponsors.”

“When did Haymitch give you mentoring lessons?” she asked me, raising her brow.

“When I asked him, which you never did,” I replied, and she scowled at me. “I know, I know, I’m the social one in this relationship. It’ll be okay, just go and talk to Annie or Glitter or, I don’t know... Cecelia, Mags, maybe Prodigy... Haymitch said Chaff was a nice guy, and Finnick was cool, too, when we met him Four. I’ll take care of the rest, okay?”

“Peeta, I don’t want to talk to anyone, all right? If I’m being honest, I want to take you upstairs right now and fuck you until your cock falls off, but clearly that isn’t going to happen, so I’d very much like to go and lie down before we have to meet the tributes at the parade. All of this activity is giving me a headache,” she told me, and I let out a sigh.

“Fine, but at least say hi to Glitter, Annie and Mags. Glitter was your bridesmaid and Annie and Mags are both Hebridean. Then you can go back up to the room and I’ll stay down here and try to make friends. Okay? Does that sound good?” She scowled at me some more, and I returned it. I had gotten good at mirroring her scowls in the eight months we had been married.

“Fine,” she said. “But I’m finishing my drink first.”

“Thank you,” I told her, and I bent down to kiss her forehead. “Trust me, I think they’ll really appreciate it. Annie’s only been talking to Mags and Finnick, Mags isn’t really talking to anyone and I’ve watched Glitter glance over here at least three times, probably hoping you’ll go over and say hello.”

“Why doesn’t she just come to me?” Katniss asked stubbornly.

“Go talk to her,” I replied, equally as stubbornly, and she huffed.

“You owe me for this,” she told me.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll let you fuck me until my cock falls off later. Go make friends on the playground, child. Daddy wants some dad time,” I replied playfully, and she gave me a shove, causing me to spill my drink all over myself, before she went over to where Annie and Mags were sitting.

“ _Halò, Mags agus Annie,_ ” she said in Gàidhlig to the two Hebridean women, and both of them beamed at her when she approached them.

“ _Halò, prìseil. Ciamar a tha thu?”_ the older of the two women asked her.

“ _Ceart gu leòr, agus sibh, a mhnathan?”_ Katniss asked the two of them. I had no idea what any of them were saying, but I smiled to myself and finished off what was left of my drink, and then set it down on the counter of the bar.

“Can I get another with a splash of something? Whatever you’ve got,” I told the bartender, who again obliged me. Just as I was about to take a sip, Finnick Odair approached me, his hands behind his back.

“Sweet, isn’t it? Your Hebridean wife, my Hebridean girls... They bring out the best in each other,” he said to me.

“I’m just glad she has someone to bond with. Katniss... well, she doesn’t...” I began, trying to find the best way to word it in case it got back to her.

“Play well with others?” Finnick finished for me, and as much as I agreed, I couldn’t say that.

“I don’t think I’d particularly say _that_... She just... has a hard time making friends. She doesn’t have any female friends back at home. Well, there’s the mayor’s daughter, but they’re not all that close, and her sister of course, but neither of them really... know what it’s like, you know?” I replied.

“Must be hard not having any other female victors from your district. All the others have so many,” Finnick replied.

“Doesn't eleven only have one male victor?” I asked him.

“He wasn’t always the only male victor. He says the victor of the 5th Games was also a man, but he died some... I don’t know... twenty years ago?” I nodded, wondering why Finnick and I were even discussing this. “Haymitch must like the company. I’ve only known him for, now, eleven years, and in all eleven of those years, he was always very lonely.”

“We definitely keep him on his toes, that’s for sure.”

“Where is Haymitch, anyway?”

“Upstairs, babysitting my daughter.”

“You brought her with you?” he raised a brow suspiciously.

“Capitol orders,” I replied as nonchalantly as I could, and he nodded with understanding.

“I know a thing or two about Capitol orders... and I know you do, too,” Finnick told me, giving me a look that made me a little nervous. I tensed up just a little, unsure if I could trust this man, and he chuckled. “District Twelve, you’re full of surprises, aren’t you?”

“Chock full of them,” I replied. “Excuse me.” I made my escape, joining Katniss at her side and taking her arm in my hand. “Hello, Miss Cresta, Ms. Flanagan, excuse us for just a moment.” I dragged a rather confused Katniss away from the two District Four women.

“Peeta, what are you doing?” she hissed at me. “We were actually having a rather lovely conversation about the sea!”

“I don’t trust Finnick, therefore I don’t trust Four,” I whispered to her as quietly as I could, knowing for sure there were cameras and microphones in the room. I hoped it was too loud for them to really catch anything, but I was also certain that it looked suspicious for Katniss and I to stand off to the side whispering to each other, so I kissed her.

“What was that for?” she asked me.

“I think I want to take you up on that offer to head back up to our room, kick Haymitch out...” I replied, trying hard not to look suspicious.

“But what about-” I kissed her again to silence her.

“Let’s go say hi to Glitter first and then we’ll go upstairs,” I said, and then I dragged Katniss over to Glitter, who was watching a recap of the reaping in District Ten. “Glitter, hello! It’s good to see you again!” She startled somewhat, but then looked up at Katniss and I and smiled.

“Oh! Hello, Katniss, Peeta,” she said with a smile on her face. “How’s your first year of mentoring so far?”

“Pretty good actually, I think I rather enjoy being on this side of the Games,” I said, sensing that it was something the Capitol would want to hear. Katniss glanced at me out of the side of her eye, feigning a smile at Glitter.

“Katniss, I heard you had the baby. How is she? Lark, right?” Glitter asked Katniss, who nodded.

“Yes, she’s quite well. Napping now, she... didn’t like the train ride very much,” Katniss replied.

“Oh, poor thing. She must be so tired,” Glitter said.

“Good thing, it means she’ll sleep, which means Katniss and I will finally have time to catch up on sleep. She’s only just started sleeping through the night,” I chimed in. “Speaking of that, Katniss and I think we’re gonna try and sneak a small power nap in before the parade, but we just wanted to pop over and say hi.”

“Oh, of course! That sounds like a good idea, actually, although of course it wasn’t nearly as long of a journey for us in District One than it was for you in District Twelve,” Glitter said. “It was great to see you two! Will I see you later tonight?”

“Depends on if Lark is still fussy. She gets extra cranky around large numbers of people when she’s fussy,” Katniss told her.

“Just like her mother,” I said, teasing Katniss, but she only glanced up at me before looking back at Glitter. “Anywho, maybe we’ll see you later or we’ll see you tomorrow when the tributes are at training.” We said our goodbyes and then made our way back to the elevator, waving and saying hello to a couple other mentors as we passed them, and once we were in the elevator, Katniss broke her silent spell.

“Peeta, what’s gotten into you today?” she asked me.

“You, hopefully. I’ve been very eager to slip out of there and make our way back up for... you know...” I said to her, cornering her in the elevator and closing the gap between us.

“Peeta, ever since you spoke to Finnick, you’ve-” I kissed her to silence her, and she shoved me away. “Why the _hell_ do you keep doing that?”

“Because I’d much rather kiss your lips than _listen_ to you talk,” I said, motioning with my eyes up to the ceiling hoping she would get the hint, and she did, finally. Her expression of irritation melted into one of understanding and she pulled me back into her arms and brought her lips to my ear.

“We can talk later,” she whispered quietly, and in case the microphones picked that up, she added, “For now, I just want you, in a nice warm bed, eight inches deep inside of me.”

“ _Nine_ inches. They measured it last year,” I told her, and she raised her eyebrows at me.

“The fuck?” she said, and I laughed.

“Apparently, it’s something they do for all the male tributes. Why? I don’t know. I think they measured your breast size, too.” I knew exactly why they did that. In case a male tribute that won was considered particularly attractive, the Capitol wanted to know the size of his penis when fully erect so Snow could sell him off to horny Capitolites. This was something Haymitch told me when we were at a fuel stop on the way back to Twelve after mine and Katniss’s Capitol wedding, but of course, I wouldn’t tell her that. When the elevator let off on the top floor, Katniss and I were giggling the whole way to our suite, and when we opened the door, Haymitch was passed out on the couch, Lark fast asleep on his chest. Katniss and I shared a glance.

“So much for you being eight inches deep in me,” she said.

“ _Nine_ , Katniss. Don’t shortchange me,” I told her, poking her in the side. “Guess we’re taking that nap after all.”

“Or we can just be very quiet,” Katniss replied.

“It’s not as fun when you’re not screaming my name at the top of your lungs,” I told her, lowering my head to her neck to kiss it.

“Then let’s pretend we’re unmarried, still living in separate houses, and you’ve snuck in through my bedroom window and we’re trying to not wake up my family,” she replied seductively, giving me her world-famous ‘fuck me senseless’ look, but I was hesitant. “Peeta...”

“If Haymitch wakes up and catches us, we’ll never live it down,” I told her.

“I don’t care what he has to say. Let’s play a game called ‘Don’t Wake Haymitch’,” she said, dragging me towards the rather large bed towards the back of the room.

“God, you always know how to get what you want, don’t you?”

“Mhm, now take me to bed, Peeta.” I picked her up and carried her the rest of the way to the bed and we climbed under the covers, watching the couch for any movement as we quietly undressed. I struggled when slipping the condom on just a little, and Katniss tried to rush me.

“You’re the one who wants to put space between Lark and her little sibling,” I reminded her. “I am perfectly content never putting this thing on if speed is what you’re after.” She huffed.

“Well, put it on but hurry up! I swear, the moment you start going in, he’ll wake up,” she hissed at me, and I chuckled.

For the record, we did not get caught, and we pretended we looked flush because we’d had a few drinks downstairs in the lounge and laid down for a nap. Haymitch was none the wiser - at least, we hoped he wasn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will Peeta’s suspicions towards Finnick Odair affect the outcome of his tributes in the arena? What plans does Snow have for bringing Lark to the Capitol?
> 
> Please review!
> 
> Extra note: I definitely take all your comments and observations into consideration and take inspiration from them when writing ;)


	12. The Third Quarter Quell: Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katniss and Peeta mentor their tributes, Sage, Penelope, Thelma and Eliza up until the Games begin.

* * *

**KATNISS POV**

* * *

Peeta and I made our way down to the chariot parade, where we met Effie, who seemed surprised to see us alone. “No Haymitch? Or the baby?” she asked.

“We’re a wee bit fussy, the train ride was a bit rough,” I explained to her.

“And Lark’s just tired,” Peeta chimed in, making a joke about Haymitch, and even I couldn’t stop the chuckle.

“She’s teething so she’s in a wee bit of pain,” I said.

“Well, darling, you’re in the Capitol! We have medicines for that! I’ll make sure to get some sent up to you straight away!” Effie exclaimed.

“Oh, that’d be wonderful,” I said, and at that moment, Cinna came out with Penelope and Thelma, both of whom were dressed rather modestly and in black dresses.

“Portia should be bringing the other tributes out soon, but here’s Miss Penelope and Mrs. Ruewood,” Cinna said, delivering the two tributes to us.

“You both look incredible,” I said to them with a smile. “Cinna really knows a thing or two about fashion, doesn't he?”

“Is it true that we’re going to be on fire?” Penelope asked me nervously.

“It doesn’t hurt, we promise,” Peeta replied. At that moment, Sage and Eliza were led out by Portia, Eliza dressed in the same black dress and Sage dressed in a black suit of some kind. Sage glared at the two of us, but Peeta and I remained as soft and as neutral as we could.

“You all look great,” I said.

“What’s going to happen is Thelma and Eliza are going to go out on the first set of chariots together, and then Sage and Penelope will go out on the second set. The first set is all of the mothers and the second is the tributes,” Peeta explained.

“No,” Sage replied. “I’ll go out with my mother.”

“Not how it works,” Peeta told him firmly. Sage was actually a little older than Peeta, but only by a couple of months, but emotionally, Peeta was much more mature than Sage could ever be. He was a father, a victor and so much more. “It’s already been decided. You’ll go out with Penelope as if you were the only two tributes.”

“But we’re not, are we? Our mothers are being dragged into this shit and now my little brothers and sisters will have no one!” Sage snapped back.

“Sage, listen. You’re here, and there’s no going back. Your name was reaped and no one volunteered for you. Don’t you think that I felt that way last year? That everyone who’s ever been reaped felt that way?” Peeta replied.

“But you won, didn’t you? And you’re a merchant so your family wouldn’t have suffered if you didn’t make it back,” Sage said rather nastily.

“That’s enough!” Effie exclaimed. “Sage and Penelope, you will ride together, and Thelma and Eliza will ride together. You will be reunited after the parade when you’re brought back up to the Tribute Tower.” Sage glared at each and every one of us, and I tried to have sympathy for him, but he was making it very difficult. I tried to imagine myself in his shoes, but I wasn’t there. It wasn’t my mother in the arena, and I certainly knew a thing or two about protecting my family. As the tributes were led away to their respective chariots, I gripped Peeta’s arm and rubbed his bicep.

“It’ll be okay,” I told him.

“His attitude pisses me off,” Peeta said through gritted teeth.

“Remember what you said. We work hard for all of them... until we only have one left to worry about,” I said, repeating his words back to him. Even though I didn’t like them, it was what we had to do. He closed his eyes and sighed.

“I know. That doesn’t mean I have to like him,” he said.

“That’s my love,” I told him, kissing his cheek. “Come on, let’s go and watch the parade. We’ve got to meet them back up at the tower to tell them about training and all that.”

The parade was exactly like it was last year, although with a bit more pizazz, given the fact that it was a Quarter Quell. The mothers of all the tributes went out first, and then came the tributes. In total, there were twenty-four chariots, and Snow gave his brief speech about the Hunger Games and going on about the tributes all representing the strength and valor that Panem valued. When it was over, we escorted our tributes back to their floor, Sage silent the entire time and glaring at everyone. When everyone left the elevator, I grabbed Sage’s arm, and he turned around and gave me a nasty glare.

“Watch your attitude. If you want to save your mother, then you need to make yourself likeable to the Capitol otherwise it’ll all be over before it’s even begun,” I hissed at him.

“What do you care? I’m dead anyway,” he spat at me, ripping his wrist from my hand.

“I know what it’s like to want to protect my younger siblings and not be able to. I know what it’s like to see my whole family suffer and not being able to do anything about it. And I know what it’s like to be the eldest child with a big family.”

“You have  _ one _ sister. You don’t know  _ anything _ .”

“You don’t know  _ me _ . Don’t be a fool, you know I appeared out of nowhere when we were eight years old. You were one of the kids who mocked me.” He stared at me for a moment, seemingly lost for words. “I’m going to do what I can to help you get you or your mother out of that arena, but her odds do not look well. You know it, and I know it. And if I can’t get either of you out of the arena... I’ll do what I can for your family.”

“We don’t take charity.”

“It wasn’t charity before when I traded with your family. It won’t be charity now. Now go, off you get. Get out of this and get ready for dinner, we’ve got work to do.” Glad to be dismissed, he stalked off, and with a final sigh, I gathered myself and exited the elevator.

We talked over dinner to assess our tributes’ strengths. Penelope really didn’t have any - she was a middle child, her older brothers were already in the mines and her younger siblings all went to school. We established that she could hide, but she certainly wasn’t built like a killer. Sage, on the other hand, was very adept at scaling trees, houses and wielding heavy tools. He was built like a miner, and would have been in the mines upon his last reaping if it weren’t for his name being called. Thelma and Eliza were not very skilled at all when it came to combat or surviving, other than doing what they could to make money to feed their families. Sage was our best shot at winning the Games this year, and we all knew that.

“He’s very skilled. He could at least make it to the top ten, maybe even the top five,” Haymitch said to us when we were chatting in the Hotel later that evening, after we had sent our tributes to bed. “Him we can work with. The others ain’t got a shot.”

“We want to try to help  _ all _ of our tributes, Haymitch, no matter how skilled they are,” Peeta told him.

“It don’t work like that, boy. Sage is a good-lookin’ kid. The Capitol already has its eye on him. We’ll focus on him, try and get him out,” Haymitch replied.

“If we get him out... he can have a better life for his family. If we can’t save his mother, at least we can give him that, but he wants us to try and save his mother,” I chimed in.

“There’s no way that’s happening, Katniss. I hate to say it, but I really don’t think Eliza has any shot,” Peeta told me.

“You said the same thing about yourself last year and look where you are,” I spat back.

“Yeah, because of you. I wouldn’t have survived if we didn’t team up. If they didn’t announce the same-district winners... I would have died by the river. You wouldn’t have come looking for me,” Peeta replied, and that stung. He really didn’t believe that I would have gone looking for him? In truth, after our night together before our Games, I wanted to be in the arena with no one but him, but I didn’t tell him that, and there would have been no reason for him to believe me, anyway.

“Peeta...” I said softly, my eyes showing him all of my emotions. “I wanted to go and find you... but I thought you were with the careers, and that you’d wanted to kill me... You have no idea how much it hurt me to think that.”

“I was trying to protect you... I thought if I could put myself between you and them, you’d get out and I’d at least be able to take a couple of them out, so you’d have less to fight,” he confessed. I couldn’t stop myself from throwing my arms around him, trying to be mindful of Lark in his lap, and he wrapped his free arm around me tightly.

“All right, all right, moment’s over. I’m tryin’ to teach y’all to be mentors here,” Haymitch said, breaking the embrace between Peeta and I. “Y’all gotta choose one to save. It sucks ass, you wanna bring all of ‘em home, but you just can’t do that. Since this is your first year, I’m still doin’ a majority of the stuff and you two will be shadowin’ me. We got plenty of time for y’all to get this right. We’re gonna try and save Sage,  _ but _ , if we have extra funds, and either Penelope or Thelma or Eliza needs somethin’, we’ll send it their way.”

“No matter what, three of them are going to die. I don’t know if I can call that ‘getting it right’,” I said, and then I stood. “I’m going to put Lark to bed. It’s getting late, and we’ve got to send our tributes off to training in the morning.” Peeta kissed our daughter’s honey golden curls and passed her to me, and I carried her off to bed. When I came out, Peeta was alone and looked quite frustrated. “You all right?” Peeta let out a sigh.

“We’re not sending them off to training tomorrow... Snow’s having some kind of special brunch for a handful of Victors, and we’re going to that... with Lark,” he said. My stomach dropped and I let out a small gasp, but I suppose I should have known it was inevitable. He stood up and crossed the room to me, then took both of my hands in his and squeezed. “It’ll be okay... He won’t hurt her.”

“Not unless he has to,” I said nervously.

“And we won’t give him a reason to,” Peeta replied confidently. “We can do this. We’re doing it for her.” I nodded, but I wasn’t reassured, so he pulled me into his arms and held me against his chest, kissing the top of my head. “Let’s get to bed... We’ve got an early start.”

As we dressed for brunch, our prep teams came back in to prepare us for it, while Haymitch and Effie went off to send our tributes to training. Listening to Octavia and Flavius, evidently, the guest list included Finnick Odair, Annie Cresta, Glitter Pash, Clarabella Dustin of Five, John Sellers of Six and Rodney Fuller of Ten. The other victors were evidently busy mentoring their tributes. Lark was dressed in what was described as ‘a cute little Capitol dress appropriate only for the Capitol’s little darling’ (a statement that made me sick) that also matched my own dress and Peeta’s suit, and we were ushered into a car that would take us to the Presidents’ Mansion. Peeta held my hand tightly as I held Lark on my lap, and he bent down to my ear to nip at it. “We’re gonna get through this,” he whispered very quietly. “Remember, I love you. We’re in this together.”

“Together,” I replied, giving his hand a tight squeeze. If Peeta had died in the arena and I had to do this by myself, caring for Lark and having to take her to the Capitol, I don’t think I would still be alive to do any of those things. There was no way I could get through any of this without Peeta by my side. When we arrived at the Mansion, we were led inside to a grand dining room, where already, the other victors were milling about. Also invited were Enobaria Heller from Two, Prodigy Prelius from One, Beetee Latier from Three and Odeon Avisdee from Five, evidently, and we were greeted first by Glitter and Prodigy, who were nearest to the door.

“Oh, what a sight,” said Prodigy, taking in the three of us dressed almost identical. “She’s an adorable little one.”

“Thank you,” I said, feigning a smile.

“How old is she now?” Prodigy asked me.

“She’ll be five months in about a week,” I replied.

“Well, she’s looking as much the darling as everyone says she is,” Prodigy said, offering Lark her finger. Prodigy Prelius was actually a very beautiful woman, with Sandy blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes. Her face was affected by age, but in the Hall of Victors in the Victors’ Hotel, her portrait from when she won her games showed a very beautiful young face of sixteen back in 2142. I couldn’t help but sympathise with the middle-aged woman, who lost her own daughter in the Games, and wondered how she felt being in the same room as the girl who outlived her daughter in those same Games. Lark took her finger and giggled, and I couldn’t help but smile at the joy expressed by my daughter. Finnick Odair approached us next, and Prodigy stepped away as Finnick extended a hand for us all to shake.

“Pleasure to see you all again. You didn’t stay long in the lounge yesterday,” he said, more specifically to Peeta and me.

“We were tired. It was a long train ride from Twelve,” Peeta replied, and Finnick nodded as if he understood.

“This must be your beautiful little girl,” Finnick replied, looking at Lark, and I couldn’t help but tighten my grip on her and hope he didn’t notice. Finnick Odair, I knew, was practically the Capitol’s darling, the way he had affairs with Capitolites. If there was anyone in this room that I trusted the least, it was him. The way he turned on his allies in the arena the year he won sickened me to think about and I pretended to brush back a piece of Lark’s hair.

“Yes, this is Lark. Isn’t she an absolute beauty? Beautiful, like her mother.” Peeta said, sensing my apprehension. He was apprehensive, too - I could see it very clearly, but that was only because I knew him so well. To others who didn’t know him, he could hide it well.

“She looks a lot more like you, Peeta. There certainly isn’t any doubt that she’s yours, is there?” Finnick said to him, and Peeta’s jaw tightened.

“There’s no reason there would be. Katniss and I love each other very much,” Peeta replied calmly, his hand moving protectively around my waist and holding me close to him. I could see clearly now why Peeta wasn’t overly fond of him. Finnick Odair was cheeky, suspicious and every bit the peacock Haymitch said he was. Finnick chuckled to himself.

“Yes indeed, you must have the happiest of marriages. You did get my wedding present, did you not?” he asked us. He’d sent us a knotted rope net, a very strange gift to send a newly married couple - in fact, sending a wedding gift at all to a newly married couple in District Twelve was strange, but in the world of the Capitol, things were different - and we hadn’t known what to do with it, so we left it in its box and stored it in the basement.

“Yes, the, uh... the rope net,” Peeta said. “We thought it was very lovely. It’s hanging up on our wall.” What an adept liar.

“I’m glad to hear. Annie and I made it together. Katniss might know a thing or two about it, being Hebridean. It’s a Hebridean tradition, is it not?” Finnick asked, looking at me, and I tried not to raise my eyebrow. What Hebridean tradition involved sending a newly married couple a knotted rope? I tried to remember if my parents had one, and then I remembered, hanging from the ceiling of their attic bedroom, the knotted rope that hung from the rafters - it  _ was  _ a Hebridean tradition.

“Yes, the  _ lìon pòsaidh _ . The wedding net. It’s tradition for a close friend or family member to send a knotted rope net to a newly married couple that they tie around each other at the altar as yet another symbol of unity,” I replied confidently, remembering the purpose of the wedding net.

“Didn’t have time to perform that tradition, I’m sure,” Finnick replied snidely. He could see right through all of us, I was sure of it. “Brunch is about to start soon. Peeta, you and I should get a drink at the lounge together sometime. You’re a real pleasure to talk to.”

“That sounds nice, Finnick. We’ll have to do that,” Peeta replied, and Finnick left us standing there exchanging a glance, trying not to let the discomfort show. Not long after, we were all told to sit down, and then to stand when Snow entered the room and sat at the head of the table.

“How glad I am you all could join me today. Mr. Latier, Ms. Prelius, Mr. Avisdee, Ms. Heller, Mr. Odair, Miss Dustin, Mr. Sellers, Miss Cresta, Mr. Fuller, Miss Pash, Mr. and Mrs. Mellark, and the newest member of our little family... Miss Lark Mellark,” Snow said as he sat down, and all eyes turned to us, where I sat holding Lark tightly on my lap. “Mrs. Mellark, I shall fetch a high chair for your dear little girl.”

“She’s been quite fussy lately, I’m afraid,” I said, trying to hide the tremor in my voice.

“She’s teething so she’s a bit grumpy when she’s not sitting in one of our laps,” Peeta chimed in, sounding a bit sturdier than me, but Snow waved a hand.

“She will be given a treatment for that, and it should make her pain nonexistent,” said Snow, and he summoned an Avox to bring a high chair in. I expected the Avox to place it right beside me, but I was surprised by the Avox placing the high chair beside Snow. My eyes widened just a little and I gripped Lark a little tighter as the Avox came over to me to fetch her. I glanced at Peeta, whose jaw was quite tight and his hands were balled into fists in his lap, but one look at Snow told me not to dare defy him, so I hesitantly allowed the Avox to take my daughter from my arms and sit her in the high chair beside Snow. Another power move. A couple of sympathetic eyes fell on me, most notably from Prodigy Prelius, Glitter Pash and Annie Cresta, and even Finnick’s eyes showed a little sympathy, but his face did not. Lark began to cry the moment she was taken from my arms, but another Avox produced an ice ring for her, and she gladly took that to chew on. “Shall we have brunch?”

I was uncomfortable the entire time with my infant daughter sitting beside Snow. She was too close to him - he could hurt her if he wanted to. I felt Peeta’s firm hand grasp mine, his nondominant left gripping my nondominant right, and we hardly spoke throughout our meal. “So, Katniss, Peeta, how do you like mentoring so far?” Finnick asked us, inviting us into conversation.

“We’re enjoying it. One of our tributes is being a little difficult, but... he shows a lot of promise,” Peeta said. I was grateful for his silver tongue - I would never be able to answer Finnick.

“Ah, yes, Mr. Darcy shows promise indeed, but he is unlikely to survive,” Snow said. “His greatest weakness is his heart, and his mouth.” He was referring to the Sage’s anger towards the Capitol, suggesting that Sage likely had said some choice words thinking he was alone. But one is never alone in the Capitol. I would have to mention that to him, next time I was around him, but it was probably already too late for him. Sage had painted a target on his back with his words, and there was no way Snow was going to let him survive now.

The rest of the brunch went by relatively uneventful, save for my constant discomfort of Lark being seated beside Snow, and when it was finally over after another hour, Snow left us to return to our tributes, and an Avox brought Lark back to me. She was fussing a little, but she stopped when she was back in my arms, and I squeezed her tightly. “Shh, my little bird, it’s okay. Mummy’s got you,” I told her, trying to soothe her. The Avox returned with a tray, and on the tray was a little jar of medicine along with a note.  _ For the pain. May it suit your needs - C. S. _ It was from Snow - the medicine that he’d mentioned for her gums. I couldn’t deny the gift, or it would be seen as defiance, so I thanked the Avox and took it, and we were on our way. Peeta was silent the whole ride back to the Hotel, and I reached over to take his hand, but he moved his hand out of the way. With a sigh, I simply brushed my fingers through Lark’s curls as we rode in silence.

* * *

**EPSILON POV**

* * *

With now just three days until the start of the next Hunger Games, we held a brief meeting with Theta and Kappa, who were sat together and on our screen. “He’s not biting,” Kappa was saying. “I don’t think he trusts me.”

“With that big balls attitude you always got, I don’t blame him. I wouldn’t trust you, either,” Theta told him, and Kappa rolled his eyes at the older man beside him.

“Keep trying. Peeta Mellark is our key to the Mockingjay,” said Alpha.

“I will,” said Kappa, and he looked at Theta. “And you need to help me out here. He trusts you more than he trusts me.”

“That boy don’t trust me!” Theta exclaimed with a laugh. “I’ll do what I can, the boy’s just as stubborn as she is. Remember, they got that kid to protect, and they’re both fiercely protective of her.”

“Especially after the stunt Snow pulled at brunch the other day,” said Kappa. “He made the baby sit next to him in a high chair. If neither of them were so afraid of him, I was sure they’d claw his eyes out.”

“Use that to your advantage,” said Alpha. “Your blockers have been on for too long now. This meeting is adjourned.” With that said, the screens went dark, and we all stood from our spots at the table - well, all except for me and Eta, who seemed a little sad.

“You okay?” I asked her, and she nodded.

“Yeah... Just another Hunger Games. I hate how they kill kids every year, and then to force their mothers in, too? Snow gets more cruel every year. No wonder Katniss and Peeta fear him,” she replied.

“I know... I can’t blame them one bit... Hopefully, they can find time to talk to him, or find a way to make him trust them. Then they’ll never have to live in fear again,” I said. I then checked the time on the wall clock. “C’mon,  _ a charaid _ . Dinner’s coming soon.” She smiled and nodded, and we left the command room together.

* * *

**PEETA POV**

* * *

I was pissed about Snow making Lark sit next to him, and there was nothing I could do about it. I hate to say that I took it out a little on Katniss by not speaking to her for most of the day, but it wasn’t her fault. We both knew that if she denied him, Snow would have retaliated in some way. Later that evening, when I caught her wiping her eyes on her sleeve, I gave her a tight hug in a way of a silent apology, which she gratefully returned, and I was ashamed that I had abandoned her in that moment.

The day of the interviews came, and Sage didn’t like us any more than he had the day he was reaped. Tomorrow, he would go into the arena, and he was quite pissed about it. Mothers and children interviewed together and Sage’s interview was mostly Eliza speaking. Penelope’s was pretty okay, but in truth, there was nothing spectacular about either of their interviews, and Cinna had not put flames on Penelope’s dress. Our tributes didn’t stand a chance. That night, we rode up to the twelfth floor of the Tribute Tower with our four tributes to say our final goodbyes, and Sage seemed a lot softer than he was before. “I know it’s not either of your faults, if me or my mom don’t make it out...” he began, and we gave him a gentle smile that he quickly removed. “It’s the Capitol’s fault. We’re dying for people’s pleasure, and I’ve accepted that.” He wasn’t going to survive the first day.

Early the next day, we were to meet at Tribute Tower, where, on a lower floor, mentors would sit and try to send gifts to their tributes, if they could afford it. Each district had a different room to go into and watch the Games from, which focused specifically on their tributes. Haymitch pointed out various buttons to us. “This here is where you go to check how much money you’ve got. As you can see, we’ve got a decent amount right now, thanks to you two and the whole ‘star-crossed lovers’ shit, but gifts get more expensive the longer the Games go on, so we gotta go out and get  _ more _ . Peeta, that’s your job,” said Haymitch, pointing to me, and then he pointed at Lark in Katniss’s arms. “And her job, too. Bring her with you when you go talk up your tributes to them Capitol folk. They love her.”

“I don’t think...” Katniss began, but Haymitch held up a hand to stop her.

“It don’t matter what you think no more. The kid is a Capitol favourite, and her daddy’s gonna go out and get more sponsors,” he told her rather crudely, and she scowled at him. I quickly put a hand on her shoulder, giving her a look that suggested we needed to listen to him.

“I’ll keep her safe. You know I will,” I told her quietly. She only nodded, not meeting my eyes, as she handed Lark to me. Lark giggled as I brought her up to my face and kissed her sweet little cheek before resting her on my forearm. I then bent down to kiss Katniss’s cheek, but she moved away. “Katniss...”

“You should get out there soon... the Games are about to start,” she said, and I sighed.

“Fine,” I replied, and Haymitch looked between us.

“Trouble in paradise?” he asked, and Katniss scowled at him.

“Everything’s fine, Haymitch,” I said, and I kissed Katniss’s cheek when she wasn’t looking, surprising her. “I’ll see you soon, all right?” She looked away from me, and I left the compartment and made my way to the main lobby, where already, a lot of Capitolites and mentors were seated waiting for the Games to start.

“Mr. Mellark!” called a voice, and I had to fight to hide the cringe in my face as I recognised the voice. It was Serous Magnificent, with his mint green hair and lavender skin tone, still the same hideous mess he was before. Wiping the scowl off my face, I turned around and pasted a smile to my face.

“Mr. Magnificent! How... wonderful to see you again,” I said, extending a hand for him to graciously take and kiss.

“This must be your  _ beautiful  _ daughter. I’ve heard so much about her! Little Miss... Lark, am I correct?” he asked me.

“Yes,” I replied.

“Ah, what a name... It's a shame she was born before the naming contest. She could have had a beautiful Capitol name!” the purple idiot exclaimed. I had to fight against everything in me that wanted to punch the living shit out of this horrible person for insulting me and my daughter, but I swallowed my pride and nodded.

“What do you think of my tributes this year?” I asked him, changing the subject.

“That boy, Sage... He’s a rather attractive fellow, isn’t he?” said Serous.

“I’m married so I don’t think I’m allowed to comment,” I said, trying to take a stab at humour while dreaming of pulverising this buffoon.

“I do hope he wins. I’d certainly love to meet him,” said the man, and suddenly, I was grateful that Snow wanted Sage killed off. Dying in the arena was a better fate than what awaited him if he lived. Serous Magnificent suddenly let out a loud guffaw. “I must go and find my family, we agreed to watch the start of the Games together. I will most certainly be rooting for your tribute. Happy Hunger Games!” With that said, he stalked off, and I sent a nasty glare his way before a giggle from Lark drew my attention to her, and I then looked up to see Finnick Odair approaching me.

“Finnick,” I said as he approached.

“Peeta,” he replied, and he stood beside me, watching Serous Magnificent walk off. “One of your... buyers?” I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye before looking away. “I know a thing or two about that... I’ve certainly held his company a few times.”

“I think you should focus on getting sponsorships for your tributes instead of standing here talking to me,” I told him sternly.

“They’re twelve and thirteen years old, I don’t think anyone is going to want to sponsor them... unfortunately,” Finnick replied. “Gaia, the thirteen-year-old, is very sweet, and so is Fisher. They’re both excellent swimmers and so are their mothers, but the careers won’t ally with kids. They’re all eighteen years old, the careers from one and two, and their mothers, while out of practice, are still trained to kill.”

“Have those districts ever seen a tribute younger than seventeen?” I asked him.

“Not in our lifetimes,” Finnick replied, and he gave me a smile. “Guess I’d better go... talk up my tributes. Hopefully, at least one of them will survive the initial bloodbath. Good luck.” He then looked at Lark. “Goodbye, honey. It was very nice to see you,” he said to her, and she giggled as he waved and walked away. I had to take a deep breath - I needed to get sponsors for my tributes, and having Lark with me was putting me on edge. When it was time for her to nap, I’d take her back to the control room to Katniss and I’d come back here and try again, but until then, I had to do what I could.

The screens kicked on and Caesar Flickerman came on the screen to talk about the Games getting ready to start with... whatever the curly-haired freak beside him’s name was. Claudius Templesmith? Something like that. They talked about how the tributes were currently waiting to be taken up to the arena from underneath it, and then they finally showed the arena. It was like something they’d never done before - an urban environment, with buildings and roads and all kinds of urban elements. Sage would do well here, and Penelope, Thelma and Eliza could hide easily. The cornucopia was in the middle of some kind of large park, and the tributes started to rise from each of the platforms that surrounded the cornucopia - forty-eight in total. I saw Sage come up and look around fiercely, probably for his mother, who was on the other side of the cornucopia, and then he assessed his surroundings when he couldn’t see her. The sixty second countdown commenced, and I sat in a chair holding Lark tightly against my chest. I felt the seat beside me sink down and a hand slide over mine, and when I looked to my right, Glitter Pash was sitting beside me with sympathetic eyes.

“This is always the hardest part,” she whispered to me, and we both turned our attention to the screens, comforting one another as we waited for the initial bloodbath. When the cannons went off, the bloodbath commenced, and it was so much chaos that we really couldn’t tell who was killed and who ran off. Sage was foolish and he ran towards the cornucopia trying to find his mother, and he grabbed a pack and narrowly avoided a knife being thrown at him by the District Two girl, and then he spotted his mother still on her platform and ran towards her, the two of them running off into the cityscape. Thank God, at least the two of them were safe. Penelope and Thelma I still had no idea what had happened to them, but I was sure I would find out soon. The bloodbath took about twenty minutes to end as tributes tried to grab packs and supplies and ran off or formed alliances if they were careers. When it finally ended, I looked at Glitter, thanking her with my eyes, before I got up and headed back to command.

“You’re back early,” Haymitch said as I entered the room.

“I couldn’t take being out there anymore, and I don’t think Lark liked it very much, either,” I said back.

“Yeah, well, she doesn’t like crowds,” Katniss said firmly, snatching Lark from my arms and walking back to the table.

“Katniss,  _ what _ is your  _ problem _ with me?” I snapped at her, frustrated with her behaviour towards me. “Are you stressed? Because in case it has escaped your notice, I’m stressed, too!”

“Hey, hey! Quit arguin’, you two!” Haymitch snapped at us. “Whatever the hell your problem is, work it out quickly, because we ain’t got time for that shit.” He stopped and looked at the screen, which showed the trackers of each of our tributes. Three were lit up, and one was dark. “We lost a tribute.”

“Who?” Katniss asked, moving to see the screen.

“Thelma,” I replied. “She must have tried to grab something for her and Penelope.”

“We’ll see it on the recap,” Haymitch said.

“Where’s Sage and Eliza?” I asked.

“Where’s Penelope?” asked Katniss.

“The girl’s hidin’ out in some building and Sage and Eliza are still runnin’ through the streets,” Haymitch said, referring to the digital map on the table in front of us. “Urban environment. Ain’t that cool? Don’t think they’ve ever done that before. We’ve had jungles, forests, beaches, deserts, frozen tundras, but never cities.”

“It’s hard to be excited about that when our tributes are in danger,” Katniss replied, and I let out a sigh.

“Do you want to go lie down? I can stay here with Haymitch,” I said to her, trying not to let the frustrated tone show in my voice.

“No, I’ll thank you not to assume shit about me,” she spat back.

“Will you two shut up and focus?” Haymitch snapped at us, and we both glared at him before looking at the screen again.

“At least we have three left still. Other districts aren’t so lucky,” I said after a moment.

“District Seven has two left - the girl and the boy’s mother - and District Nine has one left, just the boy. Eight has one. Ten’s doin’ good, One’s lost the girl, and Two’s still got all four,” Haymitch said.

“What about Four?” I asked, and Haymitch sighed.

“The girl and the boy are both dead. It’s just the mothers now,” he replied. We sat in silence for a bit longer, keeping an eye on our tributes. Penelope was trying to quiet her sobs in the shell of some hollowed out building, while Sage was trying to give his mother water in another building on the other side of the arena. “The boy’s got a heart after all.” Haymitch and I shared another chuckle, but that seemed to set Katniss off.

“So that’s funny, huh?” she said, glaring at me, and I lost my smile. “That’s his mother. Of course he loves her.”

“No one was denying that,” I told her. “Katniss, you need to calm down.”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” she hissed at me.

“I’m not telling you to do anything, but I’d appreciate it if you’d stop yelling at me in front of our daughter,” I replied as calmly as I could.

“Why don’t you just go back out and try to get more sponsors?” Katniss told me firmly.

“How about you  _ both _ get your asses out of here while I try to save these kids? Go back to the suite and stay there. Keep an eye on the Games, if somethin’ excitin happens, I’ll send an Avox up, but you’re both pissin’ me off with your bickerin’. Sort out your shit, or y’all ain’t comin’ back in here!” Haymitch snapped at us. Without a word, we both left, and we made our way to the elevator, Lark securely in Katniss’s arms.

“Katniss, whatever your problem is with me, you need to spit it out so we can figure this out. I can’t read your mind,” I told her.

“I’m not talking about this,” she replied, looking away from me.

“Then at least tell me why you’re mad at me.”

“I’m not mad at  _ you. _ ”

“Then why are you acting like it? Katniss, if it’s not me you’re mad at, then stop taking it out on me!” She didn’t answer me, so I took her by the shoulders and turned her to face me. “Listen. I know you’re stressed. I’m stressed, too. These are our first Games as mentors, and we... we have a lot of expectations being put on us... But we’re in this  _ together _ , remember? We can’t do this without each other. Honey, I need you, okay? Don’t shut me out.” She looked away from me, first at the floor and then down at Lark in her arms, and she sighed.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered.

“It’s okay,” I told her, and she let me pull her into my arms for a hug. “Let’s just get back to our room, put Lark down and watch the Games... It’ll all be over soon.” I kissed the top of her head, and when the elevator arrived on our floor, we both got out and made our way to our suite. Katniss went to put Lark down and I turned on the television, where the Games were, of course the only option available to watch. I sighed to myself, running my hand over my face. These Games were going to be probably one of the most difficult yet as I sit back helplessly hoping to bring home at least one of my tributes.

Later that evening, when things finally quieted down, the symbol flashed in the sky of the arena along with the anthem, and the faces of the dead tributes started to show. The girl from One, the boy and the boy’s mother from Three, the boy and the girl from Four, the boy, the girl and the girl’s mother from Five, the girl and the girl’s mother from Six, the boy and the girl’s mother from Seven, all four tributes from Eight, the girl, the girl’s mother and the boy’s mother from Nine, the boy and the girl’s mother from Ten, and Thelma from Twelve. “Twenty-two tributes,” Katniss muttered quietly.

“Twenty-six left,” I replied, also quietly. Twenty-two dead, and twenty-six still living. It was going to be a long Game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How far will the surviving tributes from District Twelve get? Will any of them survive?
> 
> Please review!


	13. The Third Quarter Quell: Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katniss and Peeta continue to mentor their remaining tributes as the Games continue. The Games end, and they return home.

* * *

**KATNISS POV**

* * *

It was not easy to watch the Games from this perspective. As a mentor, my job was to help keep these tributes alive and that was already difficult to do when all I could do was send them things. Now that Peeta and I had a mutual understanding, it was easier to cope, but we couldn’t talk about them. Instead, I just let him hold me when we were alone together, and I held him when it became too much for him.

He was very upset when Penelope died. She was found by a couple of the District Two careers and had been brutally killed, and Peeta had gotten very emotional. He’d stormed out of the command room, going off to God knew where. “I’ll watch the kid. Go after him,” Haymitch said, and I handed him Lark and ran off after Peeta. I caught up to him in the lounge, where a couple of mentors were hanging out together watching the Games, and sat down beside him at the bar, where he was already nursing a drink. We didn’t say anything to each other - he just buried his face in his hands and I held him in my arms.

“It’s okay,” I whispered to him. “It’s going to be okay... We have two left...”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” he asked me, and I let out a sigh.

“No... but it makes it more bearable,” I replied. Annie Cresta was one of the mentors that was in the lounge, having been sitting by herself while the other District Four mentors were either hyping up their remaining tribute (the boy’s mother died on the second day after a run-in with the boy from District One, so all that remained from District Four was the girl’s mother). She saw how upset Peeta was over the death of our tribute and she came over, standing on Peeta’s other side and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry about your tribute,” said the red-haired girl, but Peeta didn’t look at her. “She seemed like a nice girl...”

“She was,” I said in response, giving Annie a soft smile. On the second day, the faces in the sky were of the boy’s mother from District Four, the boy and the boy’s mother from District Five (now eliminating District Five), and the girl from District Seven were killed. On the third day, the girl’s mother from District Three, the boy from District Nine (now eliminating District Nine), the boy and the girl’s mother from District Eleven and Penelope from Twelve were killed. The fourth day saw no deaths, thankfully, leaving the surviving seventeen tributes safe for at least the day. On the fifth day, Sage was up to something, probably trying to steal food from the Careers, which was very dangerous. In total, there were eight Careers - the three surviving tributes from District One, all four tributes from District Two and the surviving tribute from District Four - and they were all strong and capable of tearing Sage apart. But one thing we didn’t count on was exactly how clever Sage Darcy was.

“The hell is that boy doin’?” Haymitch asked us as we watched him on the screen. It was night in the arena and the Careers were sleeping, and Sage was sneaking up on their campsite, which was in the park by the cornucopia, where all the food and supplies they were hoarding was. He snuck between each of them, then climbed up the mound of food. “This boy’s stupid! He’s tryin’ to get killed!”

“Wait...” said Peeta. I was holding his hand very tightly as I nervously watched Sage, trying to figure out what he was doing. He snatched a bag and filled it, then very quietly took a couple of weapons that lay beside the Careers, switching up which weapon lay beside which Career. He also took an apple, took a bite out of it, and set it beside the District Two girl, who was supposed to be keeping watch, but was dead asleep. It was very risky - any one of them could have woken up or been awake, but Sage was very lucky, and all eight of them were out. He quickly snuck off, but not without throwing a stone at the cornucopia, making a loud noise and running back off into the streets of the urban arena. This thump woke up some of the Careers, including the District Two boy, who glared at the District One boy, who was now holding his knife.

“The hell do you think you’re doing? Stealing my weapon when I’m asleep?” the boy from Two hissed at his ally, and the District One boy appeared very confused.

“What? No! Cyrus, I swear I didn’t-” the boy from One exclaimed, but the boy from Two, called Cyrus, lunged at him, and the boy from One’s mother launched herself at Cyrus, taking a stab in the abdomen.

“Go! Go, Gideon, run!” the woman cried to her son, who took off running, followed by the girl from One’s mother. At least District One was staying together while District Two viciously killed the boy from One’s mother.

“Good one, Cyrus!” the girl from Two exclaimed when the cannon went off, announcing the woman’s death, but Cyrus turned on her.

“You! You were supposed to keep watch!” he shouted at her, cornering her up against the cornucopia.

“Cyrus!” shouted the girl from Two’s mother. “It was supposed to be Fairbelle’s watch!” Fairbelle was the girl from District Four’s mother, the only surviving tribute from Four left.

“It wasn’t! I swear it wasn’t! It was supposed to be Medal’s watch!” Fairbelle exclaimed, referring to the District Two girl, and Fairbelle started backing away. “Look! She’s even taken a bite out of that apple!” Cyrus and Medal’s mother looked at the apple at Medal’s feet, and then both of them looked up at her with a nasty glare.

“Stealing food, are we? When nobody’s watching? You know I taught you better than that!” Medal’s mother exclaimed angrily, and I gasped quietly. Was Medal’s mother turning on her own daughter?

“What? No! I swear I didn’t! I don’t even know how this got here!” Medal exclaimed, now being cornered by her mother.

“The Hunger Games are an honour, but you, girl, ought to be ashamed,” Medal’s mother said to her. I had to look away as the girl’s mother slit her own daughter’s throat and I grabbed Peeta around his midsection, burying my face in his shoulder as he held me and rubbed my back.

“Shh, shh... it’s okay...” he whispered into my ear, holding me tightly. The cannon went off, and for a moment, there was silence - and then a third cannon. I picked my head up out of Peeta’s shoulder and turned to look at the screen, seeing that Cyrus had thrown a spear at Fairbelle anyway, killing the final District Four tribute. She should have run while she had the chance - the Careers had no loyalty with her. Fourteen tributes to go, and the Career alliance was now reduced to just the boy, his mother and girl’s mother from District Two, going from eight to three in an instant.

“That fuckin’ boy... He’s clever as hell. He just tore up the whole Career alliance!” Haymitch exclaimed with surprise. “District One’s off runnin’ somewhere, District Four’s now out of the Games, and District Two’s just got them three left.”

“She killed her own daughter...” I muttered quietly, resting my head against Peeta’s chest and listening to his heartbeat to bring my breathing back to normal. Peeta rubbed little circles on my back in an effort to help me calm down.

“It’s the Games. You two are a rare exception, refusin’ to kill each other... Most alliances end up this way one way or another,” Haymitch replied.

On the sixth day of the Games, Peeta and I were in the lounge again sitting with Annie Cresta, Finnick Odair, Glitter Pash and Johanna Mason as we watched the remaining District Seven tribute, the boy’s mother, try to climb a tree to escape the boy and the girl’s mother from District One. Despite breaking off from their alliance with District Two, they were still incredibly violent, being Careers. Unfortunately for the boy’s mother from Seven, a branch broke from underneath her and she fell fifteen feet to the ground, straight onto her back. Smirking viciously, the boy from One took his spear and shoved it through her chest, killing the remaining tribute from District Seven. Johanna groaned impatiently.

“She’s from Seven! Can’t she climb a fucking tree without falling?” she hissed at the screen. I tried not to be bothered by her seemingly uncaring attitude towards her tribute as I looked down at Lark in my lap, who was playing with my braid. I gave her a smile, and then she reached for Peeta’s offered finger when it appeared in front of her.

“I’m gonna get a drink. Do you want anything?” he asked me.

“Glass of water would be nice,” I replied, and he nodded and kissed my cheek, then stood and went over to the bar. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Finnick Odair stand up as well, and he followed Peeta to the bar. I looked over my shoulder curiously, wondering what on Earth Finnick wanted with Peeta.

* * *

**PEETA POV**

* * *

“Just a cosmopolitan and a water, please,” I said to the bartender, taking a seat as the bartender prepared the drinks. I was joined soon by Finnick Odair, and I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.

“Gin and tonic on the rocks,” he said to the bartender. “That was some clever stuff your tribute pulled, wasn’t it?”

“Tricking the Careers into fighting each other? Sure was,” I said, trying to keep the conversation to a minimum.

“That was brutal, watching Medal’s mother kill her like that,” Finnick replied.

“Yeah, well... that’s the Games, isn’t it?” I said, mirroring Haymitch’s words, and Finnick chuckled.

“Shouldn’t have to be that way, forcing mothers to kill their children,” he said, glancing over his shoulder at Katniss holding Lark on her lap.

“Shouldn’t talk like that. People are always listening,” I told him neutrally, refusing to engage with this bronzed fool, but Finnick just seemed amused.

“You’d be surprised how little they care about what we do as mentors when the Games are going on,” he told me. He opened his mouth to say something else, but then an Avox approached him with a silver tray and a white card on it - a card similar to the one I received with Serous Magnificent’s name on it some seven months ago. He let out a sigh, then picked up the drink from the counter that was placed in front of him. “Duty calls. We’ll talk soon.” He winked at me, and then he walked off, leaving me sitting there wondering what the hell that man was on about, until I ultimately decided to rejoin Katniss on the couch and hand her the cup of water, which she thanked me for with a kiss.

“What was that about?” she asked me when I sat down beside her.

“He keeps trying to talk to me. Don’t know what his goals are but I’m perfectly fine just being around you and Haymitch,” I replied calmly. “But mostly you.” I looked up at the screen. “Did something happen?”

“The girl’s mother from Three just died,” Glitter told me.

“Who all’s left now?” I asked.

“The boy and the girl’s mother from One, the boy and both mothers from Two, the girl from Three, the boy from Ten, the girl and the boy’s mother from Eleven and your two tributes still,” Glitter replied. Eleven tributes left.

“What about the tributes from Six?” I asked again.

“They were killed this morning. Two got ‘em,” Johanna told me. On Day Seven, Eliza got very ill, and Katniss and I wanted to send her an expensive medicine, but Haymitch wouldn’t let us.

“Don’t waste what little money we have on a dyin’ woman. She ain’t gonna make it,” he told us.

“Hmm, and that’s why you didn’t send me any medicine when I was dying by the river, wasn’t it?” I asked him, and he waved me off.

“Hush up, the girl got you out,” he said to me, and I shook my head with mild amusement. 

“Maybe you should go out and get more sponsorships. We won’t send any medicine, we promise... but can we at least send them food and water? Sage hasn’t eaten in two days,” I said to him.

“Little bit of food, let the boy find water,” Haymitch said, and then he pointed at Katniss, who was holding Lark on her hip. “Don’t let him send that woman any medicine, I’ll be watchin’!”

“I won’t, Haymitch,” Katniss replied, and then Haymitch left us alone. I was tensely standing over the table trying to think of something edible to send them when Katniss stood beside me and started rubbing my back, Lark now in the little portable playpen that Effie had gotten us. “You okay?”

“I shouldn’t be bothered that he chose you over me. I told him to. But I guess I can’t shake the feeling of hurt knowing that I’ve never been anyone’s first choice,” I told her.

“You were mine,” she replied.

“No, I wasn’t. You only noticed me when I was dying,” I said firmly.

“Peeta... I told you, we would have happened anyway... If the Games didn’t happen to us, and life continued the way it had before... I know that eventually, I wouldn’t have been able to stop myself from kissing you.” I glanced up at her.

“What?” I asked, now confused, and she blushed.

“Some of those... times... we... bumped into each other in the halls weren’t... accidental...” she confessed. “Sometimes they were! But sometimes... Sometimes, I just... wanted to touch you... and I didn’t know how to ask without sounding like I wanted you to take me to the Slag Heap.” I smiled then, loving hearing this little private confession. “At the time, I didn’t understand it... I just knew that... a part of me wished more than anything that I hadn’t given up on love, because of you.”

“But you didn’t give up on love,” I told her.

“Well, I  _ had _ given up, but... when Haymitch said that we’d have to stay together for the rest of our lives, I thought... Why be miserable? I decided to just let myself be happy, and with someone that, subconsciously, I wanted to be the one to make me happy, who happened to also be the person I am now stuck with for the rest of my life.” I chuckled and wrapped my arms around her waist, lowering my lips to hers to kiss them.

“Damn right you’re stuck with me for the rest of your life. Even if it wasn’t all for show... even if we could have a normal life... I wouldn’t leave your side.” I embraced her tightly, holding her in my arms until a cry from Lark got our attention.

“She’s probably hungry... Do you mind if I feed her?” Katniss asked me, pulling back from the embrace.

“Have I ever minded you pulling your boob out in front of me?” I asked her, and she playfully smacked my chest and left my arms to feed our daughter.

Eliza died in the early hours of the eighth day, and the Careers from Two got into another scrapple with the Careers from One. The girl’s mother, who had brutally killed her daughter, was killed by the boy from One and the girl’s mother from One was killed by the boy from Two, Cyrus, leaving just eight tributes left. By the end of the eighth day, there were seven, with the boy’s mother from Eleven dying from a rabid rat bite she’d received a couple of days earlier. All that remained now were Gideon, the boy from One, Cyrus, his mother, Orelia, Ryss, the girl from Three, Lonestar, the boy from Ten, Willow, the girl from Eleven, and Sage.

“The boy’s doin’ good,” said Haymitch. “Hasn’t done much killin’, just a lot of fuckin’ around.”

“Good for him,” I said, my arms crossed against my chest. The ninth day didn’t see any action, so on the tenth day of the Games, the gamemakers created a fire to draw out the tributes, which ended up burning poor Willow to death and forcing Lonestar into the path of Cyrus and Orelia, leaving only five tributes left - Gideon, Cyrus, Orelia, Ryss and Sage. As a result of being down to the top five, some of the mentors of the surviving tributes were giving interviews about their tributes. Katniss and I were sent down to the lobby with Lark to give our interview about Sage. “She gonna be okay?” I asked Katniss, referring to Lark.

“I’m sure she’ll manage... Maybe you should hold her, though. You’re warmer, stronger, and I certainly like being in your arms when I’m in big crowds,” she told me, handing Lark to me.

“Hey, honeybun!” I said to my daughter, who giggled at me as I kissed her little cheek. “Right... Let’s go and get these interviews over with.”

“I know you don’t like him but we have to talk him up,” Katniss told me.

“It’s not that I don’t  _ like _ him... I definitely respect him after he tricked the Careers into taking half of their own group out,” I replied.

“Then comment on his cleverness. You’re the one with the golden tongue. Be nice,” she said, and I fake sighed.

“Fine,” I said, kissing her cheek, and we got on the elevator to take us up to the lobby, where Effie was arranging our interview.

“There you two are!” Effie exclaimed, rushing over to us. “You two are late! And sweet little Lark has food on her face!” Effie licked her thumb and wiped the food off of Lark’s face. “Get over there, sit in your light on that sofa and remember to sit up straight and smile because you’re on camera! I’m talking to  _ you _ , Katniss.” Katniss scowled at her and I chuckled gently, taking her hand in my free hand and kissing her cheek; that made her smile, and it was genuine. We went to where we were told to go, which was a seating area, and sat down with Lark sitting between us on our laps, and our interviewer, who ended up actually being Caesar Flickerman, sat down in front of us, and then the cameras were rolling.

“Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen! Our victors from the 74th Hunger Games! They won through the power of love that these star-crossed lovers of District Twelve possessed for one another and made Hunger Games history! And here they are, one year later with a tribute in the top five and their  _ beautiful _ little baby girl, Lark! Hello again, Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen! Tell me, how old is little Miss Lark now?” Caesar asked us.

“She’s five months now, she was born in February. On my birthday, actually,” I said with a smile, and Caesar smiled wide.

“How exciting, what a wonderful birthday gift indeed! And how is parenthood treating you both?” he asked us.

“We’re finally starting to be able to catch up on sleep again. For a while, Lark didn’t really sleep through the night, but now that she’s a little older, she finally is,” I told him. “We love it, though. We’re very happy to be here, Caesar, and we’re grateful for all of the opportunities we’ve been given! If we hadn’t won the Games together, well... Lark might not be here.”

“Is it true, Katniss, that you got pregnant with Lark before the Games even began?” Caesar asked, and my eyes widened a little bit. Of course the Capitol knew about our first time together. Was  _ nothing _ private in the Capitol?

“Er...” Katniss began. “Ah... All I know is that I learned I was about... pregnant... for two months in...  _ an t-Sultain _ ... Peeta, what is word for... that month we...”

“Wh-... September?” I said, trying hard to read her mind.

“Yes, yes, I... I did learn that I was pregnant in September. It’s... what is word...  _ comasach _ ? No... it starts with a P... The one where... it can be done...”

“...possible?” I asked her.

“Yes, possible... It’s... possible... that Lark was...  _ fàs torr-”  _ She scowled as she thought, then spoke again. “...conceived... before... Games...” Katniss sometimes struggled with English when she got nervous, so I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her shoulder a firm squeeze. It was amazing, actually, that she didn’t struggle so much when she was trying to tell me that her feelings for me in the arena weren’t all fake, which really solidified my belief that she was telling the truth, or that she trusted me, or both.

“Oh, goodness! Yes, Katniss Everdeen is from Hebridia, like a couple other of our victors, which must account for her stuttering!” Caesar said, addressing the camera.

“Yes indeed, she didn’t know a word of English when she came to Panem,” I said in defence of Katniss. “She’s come a long way, though, but they say that English is a difficult language to learn!” I smiled at Caesar, glancing at Katniss’s flushed cheeks, before I returned to our previous conversation. “Anyway, Lark was born in February and Katniss was about seven months pregnant. Count seven months back and that puts her conception at sometime in July, so you can draw conclusions from that, Caesar.”

“Yes indeed!” said Caesar cheerfully. “Now, about your remaining tribute. Sage Darcy is a very clever boy! We  _ loved _ all the sacrifices he made for his mother! The poor woman did succumb to illness, which was quite unfortunate, but Sage has trudged on and here is, now in the top five remaining tributes! He has survived forty-three other tributes and hasn’t killed  _ anyone! _ Isn't that  _ remarkable _ how he broke up the Career alliance?”

“It was definitely very clever,” I said. “I like to think he took some inspiration from Katniss last year in attacking their food supply.”

“Although he was certainly more clever about it,” Katniss chimed in, putting the dummy that Lark had dropped back into her mouth. It was on a string attached to her dress and kept her from fussing.

“It was certainly very clever and  _ really _ made him a Capitol favourite quickly! You know how we  _ love _ drama! With Phoenix taking out her own daughter, Medal, in the ultimate moment of betrayal! And  _ your _ tribute caused that! You must be so proud of him!” Caesar exclaimed, and I feigned a smile.

“Oh, yes. Absolutely delighted,” I said.

“Did you have any inclination of how he was going to be in the arena?” Caesar asked us.

“Truth to be told, all of this has come as a surprise to us. Sage was very quiet and more on the moody side of things when he was reaped and he didn’t really want to hear any advice from any of us - me, Katniss or Haymitch. We knew his end goal was to keep his mother alive, but now, we just want to get him home to his family. He has a lot of brothers and sisters. They’ve already lost their mother, and if we can bring their big brother home, then they’ll never want for anything again,” I replied.

“Excellent! Well, we certainly hope Sage gets to go home to his family! Do you have any parting words for Panem regarding your tribute?” Caesar asked, finally getting to the final question.

“We’d like everyone to know that we believe that Sage has what it takes to win the Games. He’s ambitious, he’s proud, he’s strong and he’s incredibly clever, and he’s got everything that it takes to be a Victor. We hope that the people of the Capitol will help us bring home yet another tribute from District Twelve,” I said.

“We hope so, too, Peeta. It was great to see you both! Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen - oh, excuse me,  _ Mellark _ , considering I attended your wedding in January - the star-crossed lovers from District Twelve!” Caesar said to the camera, and Katniss and I smiled and waved and even waved little Lark’s hands in the air, shared a kiss for the camera and then the cameras were off.

With five tributes, the Games were coming to a close. Cyrus and Orelia prowled the streets searching for the remaining three tributes, but they were nowhere to be found. Gideon stupidly fell into an electric trap set by Ryss from Three and the cannon went off, signaling that there were only four tributes left - Cyrus, Orelia, Ryss and Sage. Cyrus was sizing up Orelia, his own mother, and we could see easily in his eyes that if it came down to it, he would, indeed, kill his own mother, and Orelia saw that, so on the tenth night, she abandoned him and set out on her own. Orelia came across Ryss and when Ryss tried to set off yet another electric trap, she was killed by Orelia, now leaving only three tributes. Cyrus was manic now, and the sponsors were pouring in. There were people fighting to sponsor either Orelia, Cyrus or Sage, and for the remaining days of the Games, we sat on edge just waiting for something to happen, and then it did.

And Sage was dead. A fireball was sent into the building that he was hiding in, and it was too late for him to get out. The moment it happened, Katniss gasped and held her hands over her mouth, tears starting to leak from her eyes, and I pulled her into a firm hug as we watched the building that housed the burning body of our final tribute blew up into flames. “I knew they were going to kill him... Snow wanted him dead... It isn’t fair...” she muttered into my chest.

“Shhh, I know...” I told her quietly, rubbing her back and holding her tightly. Haymitch frowned and kicked the chair, sending it flying into the wall.

“Well, that’s it, then, ain’t it? The Games are over for us,” he said, a hint of frustration in his voice. He was correct, the Games were finished now for District Twelve. We lasted a lot longer than we had initially thought we would. Most tributes from Twelve die in the initial bloodbath at the cornucopia, but not Sage. Penelope lasted all but a day, and Sage kept Eliza alive for as long as he could, until she succumbed to her illness. And Sage himself, well... if Snow hadn’t been out to get him from the start, Sage very well may have won the 75th Hunger Games. It was completely and totally unfair what happened to Sage, and needless to say, I was pissed.

When it came down to the final two - Orelia and Cyrus, mother and son from District Two, Cyrus showed his mother no mercy. He struck her down, and in a last bid, she begged her son to be kind, but in a blind rage fuelled by winning the Hunger Games, he sliced off her head with a machete, and then the Games were over. Cyrus Tyranny had won the 75th Hunger Games.

In the lounge, when the mentors were saying their goodbyes until next summer, Finnick raised a glass at the bar. “To District Two,” he said. “The odds were certainly in your favour this year.” He smiled that stupid charming smile and drank to the victory of yet another vicious victor from District Two.

The train ride home to Twelve was solemn. Katniss sat in the back car holding Lark on her lap, and I joined her after having lunch with Haymitch and Effie, who were also quite quiet. So this was what it felt like to come back with no victors. On the same train were four pine coffins, each with a bronze plate that bore the name of whom it carried. Thelma Ruewood, who died on the 10th of July, 2160 - Day One of the 75th Hunger Games (District 12). Penelope Ruewood, who died on the 12th of July, 2160 - Day Three of the 75th Hunger Games (District 12). Eliza Darcy, who died on the 18th of July, 2160 - Day Eight of the 75th Hunger Games (District 12). Sage Darcy, who died on the 22nd of July, 2160 - Day Twelve of the 75th Hunger Games (District 12). Four tributes, four coffins. Four more names for Haymitch to add to his seemingly never-ending list of tributes he’d lost. Four names for Katniss and I to start our list with.

Finally, the 75th Hunger Games, and the Third Quarter Quell, were over, and there was no fanfare this year in District Twelve. As we left the train, solemn eyes met ours, the fires seemingly quelled once again, but they didn’t blame us. They couldn’t. I couldn’t do this again. I understood why Haymitch was always drunk now. There was no way I could do this again.

When we got back home, Katniss and I didn’t speak to each other for a couple of days, save for when we had to communicate something about Lark. When we laid in bed, it was as far away from each other as we could get, our backs facing one another. On the third day, I’d had enough, and I told Katniss that I wanted to go to the lake, and she agreed, and we strapped Lark to my chest, packed a picnic and headed off into the woods. “We need to talk about what happened,” I told her when we finally got to the lakeshore, and she sighed.

“I’m sorry, really... I didn’t mean to take out my stress on you... Snow being so close to Lark like that at brunch, well... it just set me off... And you didn’t deserve to be at the end of it,” she told me, and then she looked at me, her chocolate brown hair flowing freely down her face and catching the subtle summer breeze. “I’m sorry, Peeta... Really, I am. I know it’s not enough...”

“You forgot that we were in it together, Katniss.  _ Still _ are in this together. We have to do this again and again, every year for the rest of our lives. We can’t argue,” I told her.

“I know... I don’t want to argue with you,” she replied solemnly.

“I haven’t heard you tell me you love me since before the Games...”

“I do love you, Peeta. You know that.”

“You just couldn’t say it in the Capitol.”

“...no...”

“Why?”

“...I don’t know... I find it... hard to... to talk there, I suppose.” She looked away, back out at the water. “I love you, Peeta... and I’m sorry I haven’t said it in a while.”

“You didn’t feel safe... that’s probably why.”

“Where I am doesn't change how I feel about you.” She looked at me again, her silver eyes meeting my blue ones. “I hope you know that.” I gave her a gentle smile and I nodded.

“I do, but sometimes, I really need to hear it,” I told her, and then it was my turn to sigh and look out over the lake. “We’re seventeen years old, and already, I feel like I’m forty. How does Haymitch do this?”

“By being drunk all the time. So drunk, he doesn’t even know what day it is half the time.”

“I don’t want to be like that... but I can’t do this. I can’t cope with this. I can’t cope with having to bring Lark there every year, where she’s around a mass murderer... where she’s around people who buy victors for sex.” Katniss looked at me, her eyes wide. I hadn’t meant for that last part to slip out, and I tried my best to hide my fear that she’s found out my greatest secret.

“People... people  _ buy _ victors for...”

“Yeah.” I looked down at my hands in my lap, wondering if I should confess or not. I couldn’t tell her. It would destroy her to know. She would be angry with me for allowing it to happen, for not fighting back and for not letting her participate, but there was no way in hell I was letting any of those horny Capitol fucks touch her. She put a hand on my shoulder.

“Peeta... how do you know...”

“Haymitch told me,” I said, and it wasn’t completely a lie. “And I saw... Finnick Odair, he... he got a little white card on a tray one day, in the lounge... I didn’t see the name, but... I was warned that... it...” I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry. “...that it could happen to us...” I whispered, and I heard Katniss gasp.

“When were you warned?”

“When I was in the Capitol... filming that stupid art supplies commercial.” I was kind of warned, wasn’t I? I looked at her and took her free hand in mine. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, I didn’t want to scare you, not when you were so sick when you were still pregnant... But I won’t let it happen, Katniss. None of those brightly-coloured peacocks are going to lay a single hand on you, not if I have anything to say about it.”

“And they better not lay their hands on  _ you _ , either!” Katniss told me firmly, giving my hand a squeeze.  _ Oh, my sweet love, they already have...  _ “You’re all mine and I’m not up to sharing... and it’s absolutely horrible that they’d do such a thing...”

“It’s a way for them to make money. They’ve proven that they already don’t care what happens to twenty-three children every year. Why would this stop them?”

“It’s just... it’s just so dreadful... this world... and Lark...” She was in tears now, and she held Lark close to her chest tightly and sobbed. I pulled both of my girls onto my lap and held them tightly in my arms as Katniss sobbed, and Lark pulled at her mother’s hair. “I feel like... I-I can’t protect her... This... th-this was why I... I didn’t want... children...”

“I know, honey. I know,” I told her. “It’s not going to happen to Lark, either... We’ll do what we have to do to protect her, so that nothing we went through ever happens to her... They’re the sacrifices we have to make so that Lark can live a better life.”

“If anyone else from the Capitol puts their filthy hands on our girl...”

“Shhh, I know...” I didn’t let her finish that thought; It wasn’t her. “The Games are over... Now all we have to worry about is the Victory Tour, which shouldn’t be a lot on our part, and then we have a year until the next Games... We survived this year, and we can do it again, and again, and again... We do it for her.” Katniss and I shared a glance before we both looked at our daughter, and Katniss then rested a head on my shoulder.

“I don’t know where I’d be without you, Peeta. I need you so much... I  _ love _ you so much...”

“I love you, too. We need each other, and we have each other. I won’t let Snow take that away from us.” I held her on my lap for quite a while as she cried herself into a nap, and Lark, too, napped in her arms. Carefully, I laid the two of them down beside each other and pulled out my sketchbook, sketching mother and daughter fast asleep with Katniss’s lake in the background. Using watercolour pigments, I painted it, and when she awoke, I would show her, and she would cry tears of joy instead of tears of sadness and fear, and take my face in her hands and kiss me. Given our dreadful circumstances, we would do everything we could to steal every moment of happiness we could get our hands on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will Peeta’s first Games as a mentor change how he tries to protect Lark and Katniss?
> 
> Please review!


	14. Sow The Seed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a time skip between the end of the 75th Games and a little bit before the 76th Games. The seed of rebellion is planted.

* * *

**PEETA POV**

* * *

Things were slowly shifting back to normal after the Games, for the most part. Katniss went back to work as a midwife when Lark was six months old, and I would occasionally head down to the bakery, where Lark was adored by my parents and my brothers. My mother was doing so much better now, and she looked so much happier. Granted, it was strange to not see that constant scowl on her face, but I loved to see the woman that my mother always wanted to be, rather than what her father turned her into.

Mine and Katniss’s first wedding anniversary came and Prim and Agnessa offered to babysit Lark for the day so we could celebrate, which we did by going down to the lake. While I was setting up our picnic lunch, I heard a splash in the water, and when I looked up, I saw all of Katniss’s clothes sitting in a pile on the rocks and then Katniss’s head bobbing up and down in the water. “You asked for swimming lessons, so come on in and take them!” she said to me, teasing me.

“Not fair, I practically have a rock in my pants!” I shouted at her, and she laughed, hiding her body from me under the dark waves of the lake.

“Well, why don’t you come on in so we can do something about that?” she asked, and of course, I obliged her. Once we were finished in the water - in more ways than one - we climbed out and sat on our picnic blanket, fully nude and drying off in the sun, enjoying the meal of cheese buns, sandwiches and strawberries that I had packed. Effie had also sent a bottle of wine for us to enjoy for our anniversary, so we had that in the basket, along with a couple of glasses, too.

“I don’t want to go back home today,” I told her. “I wish we could stay here all day, even stay the night... I’ll bet the sky is beautiful.”

“It really is, and lucky for you, that was my plan all along,” she replied. When I appeared confused, she tossed my clothes at me, and we got dressed and I followed her to a small concrete structure that looked unstable from the outside, but she assured me that it was perfectly safe. When we went inside, I noticed how quaint and small it was, with only a fireplace and an old-looking straw mattress to fill the space. Sitting on the mantle of the fireplace was a small oil lamp that was full - recently filled, by the looks of it, and on the floor beside the fireplace was a box.

“Did you...”

“Plan this? Just a little bit,” Katniss told me, and she took the basket from me and set it on the ground, then sat on the mattress. “How does staying here tonight sound? We can go back in the morning.”

“It sounds... wonderful... Katniss, this... this is... incredible!”

“For once, the boy with the golden tongue is lost for words?” she said, and then she stood and approached me, running her hands up my chest until they rested on my shoulders. “Peeta Mellark, it is our anniversary... and you’re a wee bit...” She leaned into me, her lips nipping at my ear. “...overdressed... for the occasion,” she whispered breathlessly into my ear, and I let out a gasp as I held her in my arms and felt her hands ghost over my crotch.

“You’re going to kill me, I swear,” I told her through gritted teeth, and she only chuckled and stepped back from me, taking my hands and pulling me closer to the mattress.

“I love you so much, Peeta... You’ve done so much good for me in the last year. Although truthfully, you’ve done so much more than that. Peeta, you saved me, in more ways than one. If I didn’t have you... I’d still be that cold, heartless bitch I turned into when my family died...”

“You weren’t a heartless bitch. If you were heartless, you’d still be a heartless bitch, but you’re not. You have a heart after all.”

“Only because you have enough heart for us both.” She stood on her toes to kiss me, and I accommodated her by bending down to meet her halfway. “I love you, Katniss... Katniss Mellark...  _ My _ beautiful, wonderful, perfect Katniss Mellark...”

“Peeta, you know I’m not perfect...”

“You’re perfect to me.” I held her against my chest and raised a palm to her cheek, gently caressing her face, and she placed a hand over mine.

“Make love to me, Peeta Mellark,” she whispered to me, and I happily obliged. We made love many times that night, thankfully with a rather large supply of condoms that Katniss made sure we had on hand. We tried all sorts of positions - me on top, her on top, her on her hands and knees, and of course, we went down on each other a couple of times. At two in the morning, we were very well satiated, and we simply held each other in our arms, both nude and covered in a light sheen of sweat as we tried to catch our breath. “Where would I be without you?” Katniss suddenly whispered to me in the dark.

“Still here, and raising our beautiful daughter,” I told her, not wanting to think about any other possibility if I hadn’t made it back from the Games. I raised a finger to her lips to silence her. “I can’t think of it any other way... and I refuse to let you think that way, too.” I replaced my finger on her lips with my own, giving her a sweet and tender kiss, and I pulled her close against my chest and held her tightly. “Don’t ever leave me, baby... I can’t live without you. I need you so much.”

“You know I’d never,” she replied quietly, placing a kiss on my collarbone. “It’s me who can’t live without you... You’re handsome and charming, you could always find another woman, but I can’t find someone else. There isn’t anyone I would ever want to be with that isn’t you.”

“And you think there’s anyone else out there for me? Katniss, no! You’re it for me! If I don’t have you then I might as well be dead because I’ll spend the rest of my life in a similar state to Haymitch,” I told her. “Stop talking like this... We’re together, we’re alive, no one is going to come between us ever and we’re going to live the rest of our lives together... until I die before you because I can’t spend a second without you.”

“I don’t think so!” she hissed. “Either I go before  _ you _ or we go together! No ifs, ands or buts. If you get ill with some terminal illness, you have to wait until  _ I’m _ ready to go, because you are not leaving me alone in this world without you, Peeta Mellark!”

“I’m perfectly content with waiting for you,” I told her, and I pressed my lips to her forehead. “Get some sleep... We’ve got a long trek ahead of us tomorrow.”

“I don’t want to sleep,” she told me, pulling herself from my arms and crawling on top of me, pinning my shoulders onto the mattress. “I want to... how does Haymitch say... ‘fuck your brains out’ until dawn.” I couldn’t help but laugh, knowing that a year ago, she would have never said anything like this.

“Can we do it under the stars? It’s always been one of my, um... fantasies. Making love to Katniss Everdeen in her woods, under a clear night sky filled with glittering stars.” She smiled down at me, taking a deep breath that caused her beautiful breasts to rise and fall, and she nodded. When we left our little hut and laid down on the lakeshore, I hovered over her and ran my fingers over her stomach, feeling my way up to her beautiful breasts and thumbing her nipple. She moaned in response, her dark hair fanned out on the ground beneath her and her leg shifting, hinting at me to aim lower, and I chuckled to myself. “You are... so beautiful...”

“It’s also dark and you can’t see a damn thing,” she replied with amusement.

“Even when I see you in daylight, I think you’re the most beautiful woman in the world. You’re Katniss Everdeen - no, Katniss  _ Fòlais _ \- and you’re a huntress, a victor of the Hunger Games, you’re a fierce and loyal protector of those you love, you’ve sacrificed so much for so many people... and I’m the lucky guy who gets to call you my wife. I’m the lucky guy that gets to be the father to your beautiful children.” I could see the moonlight reflect off of her teeth as she smiled.

“I think I’m the lucky one... Peeta, you’re a baker, a painter, you like to sleep with the bloody windows open in the middle of winter... you never take sugar in your tea - which is a crime against humanity - and you always double knot your shoelaces... And in addition to all of those wonderful things, my Peeta, you’re  _ you _ .” She raised a hand to my cheek and caressed it softly, and I kissed the inside of her palm. “You have the kindest heart of anyone I’ve ever known... You’re so unbiased. You love everyone equally, no matter who they are. You were able to do something that I’d never be able to do and that was to forgive your mother for the horrible way she treated you... Waking up to your smiling face and those sweet blue eyes of yours is one of my favourite things in the world and hearing your laughter is my favourite sound... along with you screaming my name when I make you come.” At that, I chuckled. “But most importantly, I’ve come to love you more than anything in the world... I was so afraid of love because I didn’t want to turn into Agnessa. I didn’t get to see what my parents looked like when they died, especially since they likely died together... so Agnessa and Archie were all I had. She almost let us starve to death... I didn’t want that to be me. I couldn’t let that be me. But then you came along, and showed me that I could love after all, and not be afraid of it. Peeta, you are the one person in the world who has succeeded in melting my frozen heart. Thank you for showing me how to live again... I can survive, I always can... but I haven’t lived in so long, not since I left Hebridia.” She lifted her head so she could press her lips against mine, cradling my head in her hand. 

“Look at you, the girl with the golden tongue... I thought you were bad with words,” I teased her, and she smiled.

“You’re rubbing off on me,” she replied. “I love you so much, Peeta...”

“I love you, too, Katniss...” I whispered to her, and I covered her body with my own and lost both of our lips in a kiss we would never forget. My hands slid down her body to find her little bean for the umpteenth time that night and she let out a muffled cry, gripping my hair tightly. I moved my fingers a little lower and found her entrance, pushing in two fingers at once while my palm continued to rub her little bean.

“Peeta...” she moaned, creating one of my favourite sounds in the entire world. I loved to hear my name on her lips as I pleasured her and brought her through her climax, but she didn’t let me do that yet. She stopped me when I knew she was close, and I gave her a rather confused look. “Inside me...” she muttered, catching my eye. “I want you... inside me... I want us... to come together...” I couldn’t deny her that. I quickly slipped on another condom (one of very many that evening) and lined myself up with her entrance, then I slowly and gently pushed into her. She gripped my shoulders and moaned rather loudly, a volume that would normally humiliate her, but not tonight. Not when we were miles away from District Twelve and any listening ears. With one hand, I cradled her head, angling us so that our kisses could be deeper, and with my other hand, I reached down to where we were joined and began to rub circles on her little bean, occasionally dipping my finger into the wetness that she was leaving on my cock as I thrusted in and out of her only to bring it back to that bean. Her moans became frenzied, and soon, my own moans were matching hers as the two of us climbed our way to our climaxes. “Peeta... Peeta, I’m gonna...”

“I’m gonna come, Katniss!” I cried out, finishing her thought, and within seconds, we were both overwhelmed by a warming sensation as we reached our climaxes, and together, we climbed back down, locked in each other’s arms and kissing away the last of it. “God, I love you... I love you so much, Katniss...”

“I love you, too,” she whispered. I don’t remember how, but we eventually got up and went back into the little stone structure and climbed into bed, clinging to each other tightly, not daring to let go.

About a month before the Victory Tour was to commence, with it starting out in District Twelve, Katniss and I were, once again, sitting outside on the bench with Lark between us. Lark was so big now, at ten months old and looking every bit like the beautiful little girl she was going to grow up to become. She had the same honey golden curls that I had and Katniss’s beautiful stormy grey eyes, and even I couldn’t deny that everyone was right when they said she looked more and more like me every day. Finnick was certainly right when he said there was no doubt that this little girl was mine, although I had no doubts anyway. She was seated on Katniss’s lap holding a little stuffed bear when she looked up, pointed and made a noise, and Katniss and I both looked up to see Haymitch approaching us.

“Well, if it isn’t Uncle Haymitch!” I said cheerfully to Lark, who was now bouncing with anticipation to be held by him.

“Hey, kiddo,” said Haymitch to our little girl, taking her when Katniss handed her to him and holding her on his hip. It was strange to see him with a child, but truth to be told, he was excellent with children. Agnessa, Katniss and even my mother both had their doubts about him, but he proved everyone wrong by being Lark’s favourite out of all of us. “Boy, I need your help with somethin’. Mind givin’ me a hand?” he asked me.

“Uh... sure,” I said, rather confused by his cryptic behaviour. Haymitch handed Lark back to Katniss and I bent down to kiss them both on the head. “I’ll be back soon.” Katniss nodded and lifted her head to give me a chaste kiss on the lips, and then I followed Haymitch over to his house. He led me inside, then up the stairs and then opened the hatch to the attic. Confused, I followed him, and once I was up there, he closed the door behind me. “Haymitch, what is this-”

“Hanna Briggs and Drill Tupper. They were my first tributes that I mentored back durin’ the 51st Games,” he said suddenly.

“Wh-”

“Digger Phillips and Care Slone, 52nd Games. Suisanna Pitts and Pàidraig McClure, 53rd Games. Ellie Runner and Bask Gifford, 54th Games.”

“Haymitch, why are you giving me these names?”

“Because boy, the list goes on and the Games go on, addin’ more and more every year, and that list ain’t ever gonna end. Not if we do somethin’ about it.” I froze. What the hell was he implying? “I got fifty-two names on my list. Fifty-two kids that I failed to bring home, and every year, I add two more.”

“What is this about?”

“The rebellion, boy. It’s time to stop adding names to that list.” The rebellion? There was a rebellion being planned? For a moment, I was thrilled because it meant that I could finally fight the way I wanted to keep Katniss and Lark safe, and any kids who could possibly be sent to the reaping. Prim, too, and my little niece or nephew that my brother’s wife was carrying. But the fear struck me - if Snow caught any wind that I was even remotely interested in participating in a rebellion, he would take it out on my family. First, he’d probably take Katniss and Lark away from me, kill Katniss and kidnap Lark and who knows, probably even kill her, too. I became frozen in fear at the mere thought of my sweet, beautiful little girl in the hands of the horrid President Snow, and that fear turned to anger as I turned on Haymitch.

“Are you  _ fucking insane? _ ” I hissed at him. “There can’t be a rebellion! Haymitch, I have a family to protect! Katniss wants no part of a rebellion!”

“You want your family to keep on livin’ the way they’re livin’ then? In constant fear of Snow and the Capitol?”

“Shh! I won’t have any part of this!”

“There ain’t no microphones up here, boy, and even if there were, we wouldn’t have to worry about ‘em.” Haymitch pulled a small little remote out of his pocket with a big button on the centre of it. “This is a blocker. It blocks any and all signals coming in or goin’ out. We got no ears on us, boy.”

“Haymitch, I can’t...” I glanced around the room, then lowered my voice. “Do you think I want this for my family? For Katniss and for Lark? Do you think I want to live in fear every year wondering if Prim will get reaped or someone else that Katniss cares deeply about? Do you think I want to add more names to  _ my _ list of failures? I just can’t do it... Haymitch, are you aware that we have fourteen months to have another baby? Snow demanded that of us! Katniss and I have worked so hard to protect Lark and any future children we have. I can’t risk that.”

“I know you love your family, boy. No one’s denyin’ that. But if you agree to take part in the rebellion-”

“I won’t do it, Haymitch. I have too much to lose.” We stared at each other in silence for a moment, and Haymitch sighed. “I’m sorry... I want to help. Really, I do... but I can’t risk anything happening to either of my girls.”

“You’re too damn good for this world, kid.”

“That’s what Katniss says too, and I don’t believe her, either.” With that said, I opened the hatch that led to the attic and descended down the step ladder, making my way back down to where my wife was still sitting with our daughter, her back to me. I smiled gently to myself, then began to wonder if, maybe, the rebellion could be successful this time. But Katniss was the one who sparked the fire, not me... She’d be an excellent leader of a rebellion, but she’d never agree to it in a thousand years. Not unless our children were safe. I let out a sigh, then pasted a smile onto my face and approached her, bending down behind her to capture her lips with a passionate kiss.

“What was that for?” she asked me with a smile, one of her hands brushing a piece of hair out of my eye.

“Just because,” I told her, and I kissed her again. I couldn’t risk her safety, or the safety of our daughter. I couldn’t risk it for anything.

When the Victory Tour finally began, Cyrus Tyranny of District Two proudly bragged about his victory over all the other districts in the Quarter Quell, and he spoke surprisingly very highly about Sage, but not in the way we expected. “Sage was extremely clever, and I’ll be damned if I deny that. If it weren’t for his actions when he raided our stockpile, I might not have made it out, because I would have had more tributes to face at the very end. He was brave, I’ll give him that,” Cyrus had said. He’d personally been the one to kill Penelope, and I tried hard not to take it personally. It was the Hunger Games, and it was either kill or be killed. I knew that from my own Games. We toured the district with him, taking him down into the coal mines (of which neither Katniss nor I had gone down into since we were children) before giving him a tour of the town itself, and I pointed out my family’s bakery. “This district is poor and dirty. How do you thrive in it?” he’d asked us. “Victors have the right to move to the Capitol, you know. That’s what I’m going to do. I’ve never been happier to escape the districts than I am now.” Katniss and I exchanged a glance, then pasted fake smiles on our face.

“We’d miss our families too much,” I said in response, standing with both hands behind my back beside Katniss, who held Lark.

“My mother was my only family, and now she’s gone, so I’ve got nothing to miss,” said Cyrus proudly. It was hard to listen to him speak so lowly of his mother, whom he’d killed in the arena. Just listening to him speak gave me more reason to consider what Haymitch had said about the rebellion. What if there really was a rebellion? I couldn’t afford to think like that, so I once again shoved the thought out of my mind.

We were summoned to the Capitol in early February, and when Effie came to claim us, she explained that it was a birthday celebration for Lark’s first birthday, as well as a celebration for my eighteenth birthday. “You’re becoming a  _ man _ , Peeta! And sweet little Lark is turning a year old!” Effie exclaimed before rushing us to get ready for the train.

“Don’t listen to her. You already  _ are _ a man and you have been for quite a while. Think I’d know,” Katniss told me, coming up behind me and hugging me around my midsection.

“I take everything Effie says with a grain of salt,” I replied, smiling at her reflection in the mirror. Haymitch wouldn’t be joining us this time, but to be honest, after our talk in his attic, I didn’t mind him not joining us, as I had kind of been avoiding him. Instead of me bringing him his bread in the mornings, I sent Katniss over, who certainly didn’t baby him the way I had before. As usual, the train ride took two days, and we were put up in the Victors’ Suite again, which confused us both. “Effie, I thought we were supposed to be on a different floor this year?” I’d asked Effie.

“You will be, for the Games, but since this is a  _ special _ celebration, you’ll be staying here in the suite while you’re here!” Effie told us. Great. I wanted more than anything to stay as far away from this damn room as I possibly could, thanks to the history this room and I had. It had been over a year now since my stay in the Capitol, when I had to please the ten buyers who didn’t get the wedding night they paid for. Lark was walking now and she toddled across the floor when we finally set her and our things down, going straight for the giant play arena that had been put in our room. Katniss tensed up when she saw it, as it resembled a miniature version of the arena that we had both survived, and I took her hand and gave it a squeeze.

“It’s okay,” I whispered to her, although I really wasn’t overly fond of it, either.

Because Lark was still only a year old, her birthday party was during the day and had a lot of prominent Capitol citizens’ children present as guests. They were all spoiled rotten, wanting to play with all of Lark’s toys that she got as gifts from these people, and a couple of them made her cry, so for most of the party, she was either with me or Katniss, clinging to us for dear life. “Shh, honeybun, it’s okay. You can have all of them to yourself when we get back home,” I told her, kissing her sweet honey golden curls. Katniss and I weren’t going to keep all of those toys. What we could discreetly carry to the Children’s Home, we would, and whatever couldn’t be would be stored in the basement until we found something to do with them.

My birthday party would be later that night. The fourteenth of February, 2161, was a Saturday, so it was as extravagant as a party could get. Katniss and I were dressed in tight charcoal grey outfits, me in a suit and her in a dress, and the whole night, we clung together, dancing and eating and socialising. As the party drew closer to midnight, I heard a voice that I certainly didn’t miss - two voices, actually. “Peeta Mellark! What a  _ dashing _ young fellow indeed!” came the voice of Vesta Glass, a woman with bright orange skin and hair as red as the flames of anger that grew inside of me at the very sight of her. Also with her was the minty green and lavender fool, Serous Magnificent, from whom I tried hard to hide my scowl from. Katniss had never met these fools, and I quickly shifted us so that she was standing somewhat behind me as they approached.

“My, my, look at  _ you _ , darling! You’re a  _ man _ now! What a shame you’re married, isn’t it?” Serous Magnificent said to me, and I nodded, closing my eyes to hide the anger behind them. Katniss’s grip on my arm tightened.

“Mr. Magnificent, Ms. Vesta, I don’t believe you’ve met my wife yet,” I said, trying to change the subject. “Katniss, this... is Mr. Serous Magnificent and Ms. Vesta Glass.”

“Pleasure,” said Katniss, not even smiling.

“Oh, there’s that famous scowl we all  _ love _ so much!” Vesta exclaimed, and I had to hide my snort of laughter. “The girl on fire! What a pleasure to finally meet you!”

“It’s a real shame about that tribute of yours, Mr. Sage Darcy. He was a handsome fellow. Now, where’s that  _ beautiful _ little girl of yours, Mr. Mellark?” Serous asked me.  _ Safe and far away from you, _ I thought to myself.

“It’s late so she’s in bed asleep with our district escort,” I said in response. Katniss and I wouldn’t let anyone else stay with Lark alone, so Effie agreed to watch her for us.

“How responsible! Well, we must be off to try the desserts! Happy birthday, Mr. Mellark,” said Serous, reaching out to run a finger down my face. I flinched just a little, and Katniss’s iron grip on my arm tightened even more as she resisted the urge to tug me away from that purple idiot. We nodded our goodbyes and Katniss pulled me aside.

“What the hell was that about?” she hissed at me.

“How am I supposed to know?” I whispered back, but I did know. I knew exactly why those two sought me out and I knew exactly why Serous Magnificent sought me out whenever I was in the Capitol, but Katniss could never know. “Let’s just... I don’t know, go dance some more and maybe people will leave us alone...” As I took her hand and led her towards the dance floor, someone bumped into me, and I looked up into the smiling seafoam eyes of Finnick Odair.

“Peeta,” he said with a smirk.

“Finnick,” I said, not even smiling.

“Hope you’re having a happy birthday.” Finnick replied. “Eighteen, huh?”

“Yup. Eighteen,” I said, not wanting to engage him. He then looked at Katniss.

“You turn eighteen this year, too, don’t you, Katniss?” he asked her.

“Not until May,” she replied in her Hebridean accent.

“I do hope the Capitol will celebrate your birthday, too. I certainly do enjoy seeing you both,” said Finnick, his eyes mischievous.

“I don’t mind if they don’t. This celebration was meant mainly for Lark. Peeta’s birthday just happens to be the same day,” Katniss told him rather matter-of-factly, and Finnick nodded.

“Well, if they do, I very much look forward to my invitation. Enjoy yourselves,” he said, and he walked off. Katniss and I left that party as early as we could, wanting to get back to Lark and back to our home in Twelve as quickly as possible. When we were finally alone, Katniss wrapped her arms around my neck and began to kiss me.

“I can finally give you that birthday sex I promised you last year...” she said to me rather seductively, but I removed her arms from around my neck.

“Tomorrow, maybe... I’m a bit tired tonight,” I told her. Even though we’d had sex in this room before, I wasn’t often up to sex in the Capitol. She understood, thankfully, and simply led me to the shower so we could wash all the makeup and glitter off of us and climb into bed dressed in loose silk pyjamas. On this night, it was her who held me against her chest, but I wasn’t able to find sleep.

The next morning, we woke up to find an ornate bassinet sitting in our living area, and when I looked down into it, there was a white card inside of it - a note. It read:

_ Happiest of birthdays to Peeta Mellark. Remember, you have one year. - C. S. _

When we were finally back in Twelve, Katniss and I lay in bed together staring at our ceiling, both of us nude and our arms wrapped tightly around each other. “We have to have another soon,” she whispered to me, referring to children.

“I know,” I said back quietly. “We can start trying next month.”

“What if I can’t get pregnant?” she asked me quietly, looking up at me.

“We’ll figure it out,” I told her, and I pressed my lips to her forehead. “Try to sleep, honey... We’ll think about this another time.” I hated the idea of creating a family to satisfy someone else. Katniss and I should have had the right to choose when we want to have our children, but then again, the children of Panem deserve the right to not die for the sins of their ancestors. We started trying in early March for our next baby, and in May, the first symptoms of pregnancy popped up in Katniss. She cried when the test came back positive, not because she wouldn’t love this baby, same as she loves Lark or me, but because this wasn’t how she wanted it. It wasn’t how I wanted it, either. I wanted us both to be overjoyed when we received a positive pregnancy test, but it was hard when we knew we were going to be bringing yet another child into a world ruled by President Snow and the Capitol. True to her agreement with Snow, Katniss wiped her tears and called Effie with the news, who was overjoyed and said she would spread the word, and then the phone call was over, Katniss and I sat on our couch in each other’s arms, until Lark demanded our attention.

“Mama!” Lark said as she toddled into the room and gripped onto my leg.

“Katniss,” I said to my wife, who picked up her head. “She just said her first word!” I couldn’t help but smile at this new milestone for my daughter, who was now fifteen months old, and I picked her up and kissed her sweet little cheek and set her down between Katniss and I.

“Mama! Mama!” Lark exclaimed, loving the attention and reaching out for my face.

“No, honeybun, I’m Dada! That’s Mama!” I told her, pointing to Katniss, who smiled down at her daughter and ran her fingers through her hair.

“Mama!” said Lark, reaching out for her mother’s hair, and Katniss captured her little hand and brought it to her lips.

“See? There’s always a rainbow at the end of every storm,” I told my wife, who smiled next at me. A couple of days later, we received a card of personal congratulations from President Snow, as well as a message that we couldn’t possibly forget:

_ Katniss Everdeen Mellark will be examined upon arrival in the Capitol for the 76th Hunger Games, and when it is time, the child will be born in the Capitol. _

Of course. With Lark, we got lucky that she came early, but Katniss would be more closely monitored this time. This baby was all of Snow’s making, while Lark had been all of mine and Katniss’s. I hated thinking that this new baby was created by Snow, but it wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Snow demanding we have another child within two years of Lark’s birth. We didn’t get to choose anything about this baby - Katniss didn’t want to know the gender, but the Capitol did, so it was out of the question to deny them that. Katniss wanted to have this baby at home, but Snow was denying her that right, too. There were high-paying Capitol citizens who would pay anything to witness the birth of the second child of the Star-Crossed Lovers of District Twelve. We didn’t even get to choose the name of our baby. As soon as the gender of the baby was revealed, the Capitol would form a list of names voted on by the people that we would get to choose from, and there would be betting on which name we chose. I couldn’t bear the thought of my child having a Capitol name, but what choice did I have?

Suddenly, the thought of a revolution sounded better and better with each passing day.

* * *

**MESSAGE FROM THETA TO KAPPA**

* * *

This message was sent using an archaic system called the telegraph and was designed and created by Iota and his partners and set up in secret by mentors of the last District Four tribute in 2155, aided by victors of the rebellion-positive districts.

_ KAPPA. _

_ THE SEED HAS BEEN PLANTED. _

_ TIME TO SOW. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peeta insists that he does not want to be a part of the rebellion to save his family, but will the temptation of freedom be too much for him to resist?
> 
> Please review!


	15. The 76th Hunger Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The 76th Hunger Games begin. Finnick and Haymitch try to talk to Peeta about the rebellion.

* * *

**KATNISS POV**

* * *

My second reaping as a mentor was no easier than my first. I was still terrified of Prim, who was now fourteen, getting reaped, with now six slips of paper in the glass bowl - one for the year she turned twelve, two for the year she turned thirteen and now three for this year. Since this was the reaping for the 76th Hunger Games, there was nothing spectacular about this one. Gale’s youngest brother was now of reaping age, too, having turned twelve that year, and I hoped against hope that I wouldn’t have to mentor him. He was so young, and twelve-year-olds might as well have a zero percent chance of winning the Games. If Vick was reaped, I couldn’t save him, and Gale would hate me more than he already did.

Our prep teams arrived early to, once again, prep myself, Peeta and Lark, and they were commenting about how I was glowing from my pregnancy. It has been announced in the Capitol that I was pregnant a week after my positive test, when a Capitol doctor had personally come out to examine me and confirm that I was about eleven weeks pregnant as of the twenty first of May, meaning my due date was either late November or early December. When the reaping came on the Fourth of July, I was already four months pregnant and my bump was getting difficult to hide. I wore a form-fitting dress, Snow’s personal choice to show off my pregnancy. As we rode to the Justice Building, I felt nauseous for more than one reason - the pregnancy, the reaping and going back to the Capitol. “You okay?” Peeta asked me, placing a hand on my knee and giving it a squeeze, and I nodded.

“Just a little nauseous,” I told him. “Still haven’t kicked the morning sickness.” I smiled at him, then placed my hand over his. Lark, who was now seventeen months old, noticed her father’s hand on my knee and tried to make a grab for it.

“Dada, hand!” she said, wanting Peeta to hold her little hand in his. With his free hand, he held out his palm and Lark smacked it with hers. “Hi-five!” she said, and Peeta laughed.

“That’s right, honeybun!” he said to his daughter. She was a little late to talk, but ever since she uttered her first word, she’s been a talking machine. When Effie came wearing a pale blue ensemble, Lark’s first word to her was ‘bwoo fwill’, something Haymitch had taught her to call Effie, and Effie was so entranced by Lark using words to speak to her that she didn’t care that Lark had called her Haymitch’s nickname of ‘Frills’. When we arrived in the Justice Building, we were met by both Effie and Haymitch, and Haymitch seemed somewhat frustrated. “What’s the matter? Not enough liquor to get through the day?” Peeta asked our mentor.

“Direct orders from the Capitol. You’re to hold the kid so sweetheart here can show off that bump,” Haymitch replied, and I let out a frustrated huff. A small part of me had hoped that holding Lark would at least hide my pregnancy a little bit, but it seemed that Snow was always one step ahead of me.

“Very well,” I said, handing Lark to Peeta. Peeta wrapped an arm around my shoulders and kissed Lark’s cheek, and Lark playfully giggled.

“Dada,” she cooed, giving her father one of her infamous sloppy toddler kisses.

“You are so sweet, honeybun,” Peeta told her. “You ready to go onstage, Lark? You’ve got to promise Daddy you’ll be on your best behaviour!”

“Yeesh,” said little Lark, not fully grasping the word ‘yes’ yet, and Effie let out a squeal.

“Oh, she is  _ so _ adorable! Katniss, you are so lucky to have the  _ sweetest _ father and daughter pair in the world!” she told me. “Anywho, best get onstage. Stand up straight - don’t be afraid to show off that sweet baby bump you have, Katniss, dear. And don’t forget to smile! You’re on camera!” Ah, one of her infamous phrases. We were ushered onto the stage moments before Mayor Undersee came onstage to, again, give the speech about the Treaty of Treason, and then Effie came out to  _ again _ introduce the  _ same _ video we watched  _ every _ year. I realised that, had Peeta and I not been reaped two years before, this would have been our last reaping, and then we’d be free from it forever. I reached for Peeta’s hand behind us both and he grasped it firmly, giving it a tight squeeze. Out of the corners of our eyes, we glanced at each other, and his lips formed a subtle smile. Effie’s booming voice in the microphone pulled us from our moment. “May the odds be  _ ever _ in your favour! First, the girls!” Effie reached into the bowl, and I squeezed the life out of Peeta’s hand as I clenched my teeth and prayed that it wasn’t Prim. “Millie Dawson.”

It wasn’t Prim. Thank God for that! But instead, it was someone else’s little sister, Maisie Dawson, who just aged out of the reaping last year. Her younger sister, Millie, was thirteen years old, and in the crowd, I could see the utter devastation on poor Maisie’s face, unable to save her sister from the arena. I was lucky that I could save Prim from the reaping, but other girls with sisters were not so lucky. Millie had reddish-brown hair that stopped at her shoulders, and like poor Penelope Ruewood last year, she was Seam, and she was very small and frail-looking. Mille would not be coming home, and I felt sick to my stomach thinking that way.

“And now, for the boys,” said Effie, and I gripped Peeta’s hand again as Effie pulled out a name from the bowl, opening it slowly and reading it. “Vick Hawthorne.”

“ _ No!” _ I hissed, and Peeta gave my hand a firm squeeze.

“Katniss...” he warned me, reminding me that Snow was watching. I had no choice but to act indifferent. I looked out into the crowd searching for Rory Hawthorne, who was fourteen, but he was frozen in place. Looking further back, Gale looked furious - and he was looking right at me. I tried to tell him with my eyes that this was not my fault, but no amount of begging would change his mind. He was pissed, and he was going to come for me.

When Vick and Millie were brought into the Justice Building, Peeta, Effie, Haymitch, Lark and I made our way to the train station, wanting to get on as quickly as possible. I waited too long, because Gale came up behind Peeta and I and furiously said, “Katniss!” I froze, then slowly turned around to face his eyes, angry with the fires of the coal that he’d been mining for the last two years.

“Peeta, take Lark and get on the train,” I said to him.

“Are you sure-” he began, but I cut him off.

“Yes. Please take Lark onto the train,” I told him, turning to look at him. He nodded, then glanced at Gale, warning him with his piercing blue eyes, before he boarded the train with Lark in tow.

“So you’ve got another one, huh?” Gale said suddenly, breaking the moment of silence. “Was this one planned this time?”

“Yes... it was...” I told him.

“Look at you... the Capitol has  _ fucking _ ruined you,” Gale spat at me.

“Gale, you have no idea-”

“You bring him back. Do you hear me?  _ Bring him back _ , Katniss, because if you don’t...”

“Are you threatening me?” I demanded, cutting him off. “Lower your  _ fucking _ voice because if Peeta hears you threatening me, he will not hesitate to come out here and kick your ass. Do you really want that? Do you want to appear on camera having had your ass beaten because you threatened a pregnant woman?”

“Peeta this, Peeta that. Is he all you ever fucking talk about?”

“He’s my husband, Gale. Did you come here to ask me to bring your brother back or did you come here to berate me and my family?”

“Are you even happy?”

“What?”

“You never smile anymore. Not like you used to. Not with him, not since the Games...”

“You have no idea what goes on in my life when you're not around, Gale, which is quite a lot since you’ve decided to cut me out thanks to...” I drifted off when I noticed an old silver band on his left ring finger - a District Twelve Capitol-issued silver wedding band. “You... You’re married?” He paused, then stood up straight. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t  _ Hazelle _ tell me?”

“I asked her not to tell you. You didn’t tell me you were marrying Mellark.”

“I told your family. It had to be rushed, and I didn’t have the chance to tell you anyway. We agreed to marry on a Tuesday and got married that Sunday,” I explained to him. “Who’s your wife?”

“Does it matter?”

“It does to me... I’m your friend.”

“ _ Were _ my friend. You gave up that right a long time ago.”  _ I _ gave up that right? Who the hell was he to say that  _ I _ gave up that right?

“I never walked away from you... You walked away from me,” I told him. “I’ll do what I can to bring Vick back... I can’t promise anything... He’s so young and small, the Careers won’t hesitate to-”

“I don’t fucking care, Katniss. Bring him home.”

“And what if I can’t?” He stepped towards me, poking a finger into my sternum.

“Then you’d better watch your back, Everdeen.” My eyes went wide with fear. Did Gale Hawthorne, my old best friend, just threaten me?

“Gale...” I was incredibly hurt now. I was in a predicament that I had never imagined myself in. My former best friend now hated me and was threatening me if I couldn’t bring his brother home - which I likely couldn’t. I could try and try but in the end, I wasn’t in the arena with Vick. I wouldn’t be able to protect him. All I could do was send him food and medicine if he needed it, but that was only if I had the sponsors to do so, and no one sponsored twelve and thirteen-year-olds. “I... I’m so sorry...”

“It’s too late for your damn apologies,” Gale spat at me angrily. I couldn’t stop the tears from slipping out of my eyes, and they fell harder when Gale started laughing at me. “Now you’re  _ crying? _ Katniss Everdeen  _ never _ cries! Katniss Everdeen  _ never _ wanted to get married, Katniss Everdeen  _ never _ wanted to have kids, Katniss Everdeen  _ never _ wanted to  _ bow down _ to the goddamn Capitol and yet here she is! Crying, married, pregnant and every bit Capitol as that awful woman with the stupid hats!”

“Effie is a wonderful person, Gale, how dare you say that?” I said, and I meant it. Effie was like a second mother to me, always making sure I was okay and making sure Peeta, Lark and I were taken care of. She didn’t know any better - she was a Capitol citizen, and like us in District Twelve, they only know what they’re taught.

“See? Defending her, just like a Capitolite-”

“And my name is Katniss  _ Mellark _ .” I found out quickly that that was the wrong thing to say to him.

* * *

**PEETA POV**

* * *

While I waited for Katniss on the train, I held Lark on my lap and fed her some small cubes of cheese from the buffet table, which she really enjoyed. She chewed open-mouthed with her little teeth and I had to try hard not to laugh as I told her to chew with her mouth closed. As I did so, Katniss stormed onto the train and practically ran to our bedroom in the next car over, slamming the door shut and locking it. “Wait here, sweetie. Haymitch, watch her!,” I called, sitting Lark down on a bench and rushing off after Katniss, knocking on the door. “Katniss? Honey, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Peeta. Can you... Can you send Effie in?” she asked from inside.

“Katniss, what happened? Talk to me,” I begged her. “Katniss, open the door!”

“Peeta,  _ please _ just get Effie! I’m having an... issue,” she replied, and my eyes widened. Whenever she had a lady problem, she called it an ‘issue’, and most of those ‘lady problems’ involved blood, and I knew that miscarriages, too, involved blood, because I had once watched my mother go through one when I was very young.

“Katniss, what’s wrong? Is it the baby? Katniss, open the door!” I exclaimed, tugging on the door handle. “I’ll break it down, Katniss, I swear!” I was about to slam my shoulder into the door when it opened and I nearly fell through, and my eyes fell on Katniss’s face. There, framing her left silvery grey eye, red and puffy from crying, was a big purple bruise. I gasped and took her face in my hands. “What the  _ hell _ happened? Did Gale do this? I’ll fucking kill him!”

“Peeta!” she called after me, but as I started down the car, the train jerked, signalling that the tributes were on board and we were starting to move.

“How could you let him do this to you?” I asked her, turning back around to grasp her hands in one of mine and run my thumb over the bruise of her eye.

“I didn’t exactly ask him to hit me, Peeta! He just did it!”

“Why?”

“All I said before he hit me was that my name was Katniss Mellark...” My eyes narrowed. Gale was being a fucking child all because I was the one that Katniss fell in love with, and now he’s hurt the love of my life, all over jealousy.

“When we get back...”

“You’ll do nothing, because I don’t want anyone in our family setting foot anywhere near him again.”

“What else did he say to you?”

“It doesn’t matter. He wants us to bring Vick home, as any brother would.”

“That isn’t going to happen. He’s twelve years old, he’s never gonna make it,” I told her, and she surprised me by pulling me into a tight hug and burying her face in my shoulder.

“I know... and that’s what I’m afraid of...” she said to me. So Gale threatened her. Well, if he wanted to threaten my wife and the mother of my children, I’d show him what I make of his threats. “Can... Can you please get Effie? I just... I need her to hide this bruise...” That sounded familiar. I let out a sigh, then pulled back from her embrace and looked down into her face.

“Of course I can,” I told her, and I kissed her forehead. “Go and wait in the room, I’ll send her in.” She gave me a subtle smile, then stopped me as I was about to turn to kiss me, and then she went into the room.

The tributes weren’t exactly remarkable. Apparently, Gale didn’t let either of his younger brothers do any hunting, although he would likely show his older younger brother now, if he wasn’t pissed off at him for not volunteering. Vick had no knowledge of any hunting skills or anything - and why would he? He was twelve years old, his only responsibilities should be going to school and doing household chores, not fighting for his life in the arena. Millie was no better. She could make a fire, but that was about it. That wouldn’t help her in the arena when the Careers were tracking her. It struck me then that Katniss was a rare exception to the tributes of District Twelve with her hunting skills. There were almost no children in the district with any useful skills, which was why tributes from District Twelve were always doomed.

Upon our arrival in the Capitol a couple of days later, I waited for the car that would take us to Victors’ Hotel, but instead, a separate car approached us, and a man stepped out of it. “I will be taking Katniss Everdeen Mellark to the hospital for examination,” he said, and Katniss’s hand quickly grasped mine, refusing to let go.

“Can I go with her? I’m the father,” I said to the man. He stepped aside for a moment and spoke quietly into a headset, then turned back to face us.

“That would be fine,” he said. I handed Lark to Haymitch, asking him to get settled in our room and get Lark situated, as well as watch her, and Katniss and I climbed into the car. I took Katniss’s hand in mine and gave her a firm kiss on the cheek.

“Don’t worry, I won’t leave your side for a second,” I told her, but that didn’t take the fear from her eyes. We learned that they would be keeping her overnight to give her nourishment for the baby, give her any necessary shots or medications and take every possible precaution to make sure that this baby came out perfect, and I was pissed that I wasn’t allowed to stay with her. “It’ll be okay, Katniss. Tomorrow, you’ll be with me and it’ll be okay.”

“Don’t leave me, Peeta!” Katniss begged me, her hands holding mine in an iron grip.

“Baby, you know I’d stay if they’d let me... I’ve got to go and be a mentor to our tributes,” I told her. “They’ve got the parade today...”

“I don’t care, Peeta! I don’t want you to leave me!” she hissed at me, and I sighed. She was going to be angry with me for leaving her side, but there was nothing I could do. A peacekeeper had to nearly drag me out of her room and Katniss had to be sedated to keep her from screaming. A nurse then handed me a folded slip of paper.

“Congratulations, Mr. Mellark,” she told me when I opened the paper to look at it - it had revealed the baby’s gender. “I don’t know what it is, but I can’t wait to see it announced tonight in your interview!” Interview? I had to give an interview  _ tonight _ about this? God, would the Capitol ever stop torturing me and my family? I was brought back to the hotel after that and met Haymitch in the lobby, who was holding Lark.

“Hello, sweetheart,” I said to my daughter, taking her from Haymitch and holding her tightly, and then I looked at Haymitch. “What’s the deal with this interview?”

“You go up, talk about your life with sweetheart for a bit, and then Caesar’s gonna ask about the pregnancy and kiddo’s gonna announce it,” Haymitch replied.

“Lark is going to announce it?” I asked. “Since when?”

“Since Snow demanded it, now make sure she knows what she’s sayin’ so she don’t screw it up! C’mon, I’ll take ya up to your room. The tributes are still gettin’ ready. I made sure you and sweetheart got the room farthest from me because I ain’t listenin’ to y’all fuckin’ all night!” Haymitch said as he led me to the elevator.

“Fuck!” Lark screeched, and I turned beet red and my eyes went wide with shock before they trained themselves on Haymitch glaring daggers at the laughing drunkard.

“Watch what you say around her! She repeats everything!” I hissed at him, but Haymitch only laughed some more.

“Kiddo, your daddy’s a stick in the mud!” he told Lark with a laugh, and she also laughed, picking up the cue from Haymitch. The room in the Hotel was different from the suite, but it was still big. There was a large bed, a TV stand, a couch, a television, a bathroom and a door leading to a second room, where Lark would be sleeping. It was there where I got prepped for the interview, having to miss the chariot parade this year since the interview would take place right after. While I waited, I tried to teach Lark what to say when she got to announce the baby’s gender, but to no avail. Hopefully, she said it correctly when it was actually time. When it was time to get onstage, after I watched the tribute parade, I was welcomed onstage by Caesar Flickerman, who had hair that was bright pink and bright pink lips to match - how fitting.

“Peeta Mellark!” he exclaimed happily when I walked onstage with Lark in my arms. “And little Miss Lark! How are we today, you beautiful little darling?”

“How are you today, Lark?” I asked my daughter, who looked down at the microphone that Caesar was shoving in her face. She didn’t say anything, so I nudged her on. “Sweetie, tell Mister Caesar how you are!” I said, but she still didn’t speak. “...good?”

“Good,” little Lark said shyly, and Caesar and I shared a friendly chuckle.

“She’s a little shy,” I said to him.

“That’s all right! She’s come a long way since we last saw her, hasn’t she? Talking and everything!” Caesar exclaimed happily. “How are you and Katniss doing?”

“We’re doing well! We’re very happy together and very glad that we get to have the privilege of being together,” I replied. It was vague, but it worked.

“I understand you’re going to add a new addition to your family very soon?” Caesar asked me.

“Yes, we are, in about five months,” I replied with a huge fake smile plastered onto my face.

“And I understand you know the gender now? There’s been all kinds of guesses - is it a boy or is it a girl? My bet is on a little girl!” Caesar exclaimed, pointing at his pink hair and lips. “I understand Miss Lark is going to tell us?”

“She is, and she’s very excited to share the news!” I said, and then I looked at my little girl in my lap. “Lark, sweetie, what are you gonna be soon?” She was silent again, letting out a small whine, which told me that she was uncomfortable. “Lark, tell Mister Caesar what Mommy’s having!” She still didn’t respond, so I bent down into her ear and whispered her line into her ear.

“Big sisser,” said Lark, referring to herself, and I let out a chuckle.

“Now tell Caesar what you’re gonna have,” I said, and I again whispered her line into her ear.

“Leel sisser,” Lark repeated, and the crowd erupted into cheers, startling Lark and causing her to cry.

“Baby, it’s okay!” I said, turning her around and holding her against my chest, rubbing her back for comfort.

“It’s a girl!” Caesar announced, causing the crowd to cheer again. “Our Star-Crossed Lovers of District Twelve are proud to announce that they are having another  _ beautiful _ little girl! How wonderful is that? Well, Peeta, we have to conclude this interview as it’s time to air the recap of the tribute parade, but we hope to be seeing more of you, and this sweet little darling, soon!” I thanked Caesar and carried my crying daughter off the stage to head back to the hotel. I would not be seeing the tributes that night and instead, went back and crawled into bed with Lark, who fell asleep almost instantly.

Katniss was released from the hospital early the next day and she was not at all happy with me for Lark’s appearance on television. “Honey, it wasn’t my choice. You know that,” I told her.

“She’s too young for all that!” Katniss spat back, holding Lark tightly and facing away from me.

“You think I don’t know that?” I asked her, and I let out a sigh. “Katniss... Can we not argue this year? Please? I know you’re stressed and this place isn’t home and we’re under a lot of pressure... but don’t push me away, please.”

“I’m sorry... I just...” She sighed this time, then turned back around to face me, tears threatening her eyes. We didn’t say anything more; I pulled her into my arms and we held each other for quite a while.

This year, I was sent to help send the tributes off to their first day of training while Katniss needed a consultation with Cinna about outfits that would suit her ever-growing pregnancy bump, and Haymitch and I tried to assess our tributes again. Both of them were silent and not at all confident that they’d get very far, so I simply told them which stations to visit in training. “There have been victors who won simply by hiding out and waiting until everyone else was dead. It doesn’t happen often, but if you can disguise yourself or if you’re good at hiding, you might have a chance of doing that,” I told Vick and Millie.

“Didn’t you do that in your Games?” Millie asked me, and I nodded.

“I did, when I was injured, I disguised myself as river rocks and blended in. Got passed by the Careers several times until Katniss finally found me and got me out of there,” I replied. “So see? Camouflage works. Hit up that station, as well as the edible plants station. You’re both young and small, and I wish I could say that the weapons stations would be beneficial to you, but unfortunately, they won’t be. Not with the Careers. Hit them up at least once each, then stick with camouflage and edible plants.” Both Millie and Vick agreed to our plan of action, and Haymitch and I sent them down to training.

“You make a good mentor. Sweetheart? Not so much,” Haymitch told me.

“Oh, and you’re any better?” I asked him with a bemused expression, and he cackled.

“You’re alive, ain’t ya?” he asked me. That was pretty much how the rest of the training days went. Katniss made an appearance a couple of times before we sent off our tributes and she advised them to focus on smaller knives, as well as to observe their surroundings. She reminded them about the time she dropped a tracker jacker nest on the Careers (when I was one of them) and suggested they use that tactic if they happened to find the opportunity. Then, the night of the interviews were upon us, and this was Haymitch’s forte. He advised them to be likeable, charming and to engage Caesar in conversation. Vick, however, dropped a bomb that nobody was expecting.

“I’ve had a crush on Millie ever since we were kids... It’s rotten luck to be put in the same Games as the girl of your dreams, isn’t it?” he’d said to Caesar. Katniss and I’s jaws both dropped and I turned away out of frustration. “It worked for you, didn’t it?” Vick asked us when we approached him about it after the interview.

“That’s because it was real! You now have to keep that up in the arena if you want sponsors!” I exclaimed in frustration. God, he was just like his older brother.

“Gale said it wasn’t real, so why can’t I do it?” Vick asked us.

“Gale doesn’t know anything, Vick. Not about me, not about Peeta and I together, not about the Games or the Capitol, nothing. You’ve just put a target on your back, and Millie’s,” Katniss replied firmly, and then she let out a sigh. “Look, Vick... I want to get you home so badly... I was devastated when you were reaped. I’m going to do whatever I can to get you home. Peeta, Haymitch and I will all try our damndest to get you home to your family, do you understand?” He nodded in understanding, knowing that the chances of us getting him home were probably equal to the chances of Katniss and I both surviving if we were thrown into another arena. We bid both of our tributes goodnight and wished them luck, and Haymitch gave his parting advice of ‘stay alive’ before the three of us made our way back to the Hotel.

“I’m headin’ to the lounge. Y’all comin’?” Haymitch asked us, but Lark was already fast asleep in my arms.

“Not tonight, we’re both tired and we’ve got Lark to worry about,” I told him. He waved us off, then we got off on the twelfth floor of the Hotel while he got off on the thirteenth, where the lounge was, and went to bed early.

The Games began early the next day and all three of us mentors were in the control room for the start of the Games. This arena was a desert arena, with some small coverage but really not much at all. There were likely to be snakes, lizards and all kinds of poisonous animals as well as plants, and we were all worried about our tributes. When the countdown ended and the cannon went off, we tried to watch our tributes in the chaos, but they were easy to lose. At the end of the bloodbath at the cornucopia, the boy and girl from Three, the girl from Four, the boy from Five, the boy and girl from Six, the girl from Seven, the boy from Eight, the boy from Ten and Millie were all dead. Ten tributes dead, and fourteen more were still living. Katniss let out a sigh of relief at Vick having survived the initial bloodbath of the cornucopia, but we were all sad to know one of our tributes had already died.

On the second day, the two tributes from Nine were found by the Careers and were brutally murdered, leaving just twelve tributes left, and on the third day, the girl from Ten and the boy from One had managed to kill each other, leaving just ten. “Sweetheart, why don’t you stay here and the boy and I will go and try to win some sponsors for the other boy?” Haymitch asked Katniss, who glanced at me nervously before nodding.

“As long as you’re sure I can handle mentoring by myself,” she told Haymitch.

“You can do it. Just don’t let your feelin’s waste any money that can be used for somethin’ he really could use like medicine or somethin’,” Haymitch told her. I gave Katniss a quick kiss and kissed Lark’s honey golden curls before Haymitch and I left the control room, heading for the elevator. I noticed he happened to push the button for Floor Thirteen, as opposed to the Ground Floor Lobby like he had claimed (we were on Sublevel Two - Sublevel Three was where the Games were controlled).

“Thought we were going to the lobby,” I said.

“Lounge first. I need a drink,” Haymitch replied, and I nodded in silence. When we got to the lounge, there were a few mentors there, most notably, Cyrus Tyranny, who was enjoying his first year as a mentor, Enobaria Heller, Johanna Mason, Finnick Odair, Chaff Lemell and Pascasia Mazarinne. Haymitch and I went to the bar, where Finnick was sitting, and Haymitch ordered his drink. “What are you up to, fish boy?” Finnick chuckled as Haymitch addressed him.

“Not much,” he said, and he tapped his golden wristwatch. Haymitch downed his drink, then ordered another one.

“We’re goin’ to get some sponsors for our kid. Comin’ down?” Haymitch asked him.

“Sure, I still have a tribute in the Games. Might as well,” Finnick replied.

“Gotta get somethin’ from my room first. C’mon, boy,” said Haymitch, leading both Finnick and I to the elevator.

“I could just meet you down there, Haymitch,” I said, but he waved me off.

“Ten minutes, max,” he said, exchanging a glance with Finnick. I looked between them suspiciously, wondering what the hell this could be about, as we exited the elevator onto the twelfth floor. With one hand in his pocket, Haymitch opened the door to his room, then ushered Finnick and I inside. “Right, we got ten minutes.”

“Haymitch, what is this about?” I asked, and he pulled that blocker thing out of his pocket to show it to me.

“Ten minutes. Don’t dilly dally,” he repeated. Finnick had gone to sit down on Haymitch’s bed and I eyed him and Haymitch suspiciously - the mischievous glint was gone from Finnick’s seafoam eyes.

“By the way, Haymitch - ‘plant’ and ‘sow’ mean the same thing,” Finnick said to him playfully.

“Shut up, fish boy. Tell the boy,” Haymitch said, sitting down on his couch with his drink in hand.

“Tell me what?” I demanded, still standing. “What’s going on?”

“Rebellion,” said Finnick. “I’ll start with this: District Thirteen is real, and they want you and Katniss to lead the rebellion. That stunt with the berries... they know it wasn’t an act of love. They know it was a chance to get back at the Games and the Capitol, and they know your relationship was built by the Capitol.”

“Well, they’re wrong! Katniss and I do love each other very much, even if it was the Capitol and the Games that brought us together. What is this  _ really _ about? They want Katniss and I to lead the rebellion? Haymitch, I told you no! Katniss and I will  _ not _ agree to this! We have a family to protect!” I spat at both of them.

“We can get you out to District Thirteen. You and sweetheart and your kids will be safe there,” Haymitch chimed in. I paused for a moment. Safe? In District Thirteen?

“But... isn’t Thirteen a nuclear wasteland?” I asked.

“So we thought, but they moved underground and they’re thrivin’. I ain’t seen it myself personally, but I’ve met some of the people who live there. Couple o’ kids with different coloured eyes really believe that sweetheart has what it takes to lead this rebellion, but you and I both know she ain’t gonna do it without you by her side,” Haymitch replied.

“I... I can’t... Haymitch, my girls... I have two daughters now. Will have two daughters... Katniss will never agree to it, Haymitch. I told you, I have too much to lose!” I said quickly.

“Then think about it at least. When you make up your mind, reach out to Haymitch and he’ll reach out to me. We’ll be in touch as soon as we can about what we need you to do,” Finnick said, and then he stood, approaching me and placing his hands on my shoulders. “It doesn’t have to be this way... You don’t have to live in fear, your  _ family _ doesn’t have to live in fear. Peeta...” He let out a sigh. “I’m in love, too, and I want to do everything I can to protect her... but I can’t. I can’t even marry her, because if I do, then I will no longer be profitable for Snow, and he... he’ll kill what’s left of my family, and it isn’t much. Has Haymitch told you what I have to do for Snow?” I shook my head. “Remember what you had to do? After your Capitol wedding?”

“How do you...”

“Because I’ve done it before. I’ve been doing it ever since I was sixteen years old. I’m twenty-six now. For ten years, I’ve been forced to sleep with Capitolites so Snow can profit off of me, and what do I get for it in return? My loved ones staying alive. You’re not the only one making sacrifices for those you love...” I was silent as I listened to him, hearing his own story and realising that he really wasn’t all that much different from me.

“But you don’t have children,” I said quietly to him.

“No, I don’t... and I can’t have any thanks to Snow.”

“What if the rebellion fails?”

“We don’t have time to think about that. With Katniss at the front, who’s admired by so many people in the districts... there won’t be failure.”

“And you’re so sure of that.”

“Katniss Everdeen gives Panem hope. The people see how destroyed she has been by Snow and they want to rebel. Peeta, you also give them hope. The way you speak is a beautiful gift that the rebellion needs to win. With Katniss’s fiery spirit and your golden tongue... we can win this rebellion.”

“Two minutes,” says Haymitch. I let out a sigh, and then I nodded gently.

“I’ll think about it,” I said. “I don’t want to live in fear wondering what misstep I’ll take that’ll lead to my children getting reaped... I don’t want Katniss to be afraid anymore, either. She cried when we found out she was pregnant, both times. It isn’t supposed to be that way. She should be happy... She loves Lark and I know she’ll love this baby just the same... I’ll think about it. I promise.”

“When you’ve made up your mind, speak to Haymitch. He knows how to reach me and the rebellion,” Finnick told me, and he gave me a smile. “See? I’m not as bad as you think.”

“It’s that damn peacock persona!” Haymitch exclaimed, and Finnick and I both let out a chuckle. A firm knock at the door surprised us all, causing Haymitch to spill his drink. “Fish boy, you’re here lookin’ for some book you lent me. Boy, I’m mentorin’ you on bein’ a mentor.”

“Aye-aye, captain,” said Finnick, saluting Haymitch, and he sat down on the bed. Haymitch answered the door to two peacekeepers who pushed into the room.

“What’s going on up here?” said one of them, shoving past Haymitch.

“I’m givin’ fish boy here his book back, and Peeta’s my charge. What else does it look like?” Haymitch asked them, going to his bedside table and rummaging through it, then pulling out a book and tossing it to Finnick.

“We’ve been on the lookout for suspicious behaviour. The cameras in the hall didn’t pick you up in here,” said the peacekeeper.

“And I’ll bet you’re really here because the microphones didn’t hear nothin’, either. Well, we ain’t talkin’ shit if that’s what you’re thinkin’. Get better equipment if it fails on ya like that,” Haymitch replied dangerously, and Finnick and I exchanged a glance before turning our attention back to the Peacekeepers.

“Very well,” said the peacekeeper. “We’ll be keeping an eye on you, Abernathy.” Haymitch waved them off and scoffed, then poured another drink into his glass and took a gulp of it.

“Must be fun to watch, if ya gotta watch me that closely,” he said, and the peacekeepers stalked off. “Right... Down to the lobby? Get us some sponsors for our kids?”

Based on how quickly those peacekeepers detected an error in their technology, thinking about rebellion in the Capitol made me nervous, so I vowed to push the thought out of my mind until we got back to Twelve. On the fifth day of the Games, the Careers picked off the two tributes from Eleven, leaving just the girl from One, the girl and boy from Two, the boy from Four, the girl from Five, the girl from Eight, and Vick from Twelve. Seven tributes left.

On the sixth day, Vick was bitten by a poisonous snake, and we didn’t have enough funds to send him antivenom. All three of us were in the lobby trying so hard to earn enough money to buy him the antivenom, which was two thousand dollars, but by the time we’d had the money and we made it back to command to deliver the medicine, his cannon went off, and we lost our second tribute. Katniss burst into tears instantly and I pulled her into my arms for a tight hug, but it was no comfort to her. Vick was viewed as one of her cousins by Panem, but in truth, he was the member of a very close family of friends to her family. “I tried... I tried so hard...” she cried into my shoulder.

“Shh, shh... I know... I know, sweetie, I know,” I told her. Lark toddled over and tugged on Katniss’s skirt.

“Mama sad?” she asked. Wiping her tears, Katniss bent down to pick our little girl up and held her against her chest.

“Yes, baby... Mummy’s sad...” she said to Lark. The 76th Hunger Games were over for us, and we feared the wrath of Gale when we finally returned to Twelve. At least, Katniss worried about it - I wasn’t so concerned. If Gale wanted to dare come near my home and my family, he wouldn’t like the end result. He might have been tall and muscular - taller than me - and he might have worked in the mines, but I used to wrestle back in school and the only opponent I couldn’t beat was my older brother, but that was only because I saw Katniss at the wrestling match and got distracted. I felt terrible that he lost his little brother, but if he wanted to threaten my family, then I would have no sympathy for him.

“Katniss is, understandably, very upset right now,” I told an interviewer when I went out to the lobby to discuss the loss of my tribute. “You see, Vick was one of her cousins and she’s very close to her family. We tried very hard to work up the funds to send him an antivenom, but the problem is that supplies get more expensive as the Games go on.” Was I allowed to say that? Oh well, too late now. “Unfortunately, no one likes to sponsor the younger tributes because they generally don’t have any chances. Vick was the last twelve-year-old in the Games and people would much rather spend money on the older tributes who have a chance. Understandable, I suppose, but Vick had a noble heart, and he would have made just as good of a victor as any other tribute.”

“But he didn’t  _ do _ much, did he?” asked the interviewer. “Just hiding and whatnot.”

“When you’ve got a group of sixteen to eighteen-year-olds that are strong and trained in weaponry, and you’re just a small kid, wouldn’t you hide?” I asked the interviewer. I gave him the best fake smile I could, and then I made my way back to command.

“Boy, those were fightin’ words,” Haymitch warned me when I arrived.

“I thought they were very fitting. I thought that maybe, I could try and convince people to sponsor younger tributes in the future,” I told him.

“But people don’t  _ wanna _ sponsor younger tributes, boy! They can’t win! They  _ don’t  _ win! You worded it well enough... If you’re lucky, Snow will let it slide.”

“Haymitch, I am the first tribute in history that won the Games along with the actual victor. I’d say I’m built out of nothing but luck.”

“Luck runs out sometimes, boy. Just hope yours hasn’t yet. Don’t cash it all in on one shot.” I hoped against hope that nothing would come of that. I worried for Katniss and Lark, and then for my unborn child, and feared that Snow would come up with something to punish me for my words, but nothing came of it. At least, not immediately.

The Games finally ended after eleven days. The girl from One attacked the two tributes from Two, killing the boy from Two and in turn losing her own life when the girl from Two stabbed her and ran off, leaving just the girl from Two, Aurelia, the boy from Four, Titan, the girl from Five, Delectra, and the girl from Eight, Bobbin. Bobbin was bit by a poisonous lizard on the ninth day, resulting in her death, and Aurela and Titan faced off at the cornucopia. A lightning storm, strange for the desert, struck the metal cornucopia, and the two tributes that were inside it, killing both Aurelia and Titan, which left Delectra Altra of District Five as the victor of the 76th Hunger Games.

“To District Five,” said Finnick, giving his annual toast to the victor in the lounge after the Games had come to the end.

“The odds were in your favour,” came multiple voices, including mine. Finnick winked at me, and I nodded subtly at him, taking a sip from my own drink. And so we returned to District Twelve with two more pine coffins, bearing the names of Millie Dawson and Vick Hawthorne on their bronze plates. Two more names to add to mine and Katniss’s ever-growing list, which now added up to six. Two more names to add to Haymitch’s ever-growing list, which now added up to fifty-four. The odds were never in our favour, and the stew of rebellion began to bubble under my skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will Gale follow up on his threats against Katniss for failing to bring home his little brother? What lengths will Peeta go to to protect his family?
> 
> Please review!


	16. Phantasmagoria in Flame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katniss has a nightmare about her children and the Games. Peeta decides to take initiative.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two songs quoted in this chapter: ‘Where Have All The Flowers Gone’ — Peter, Paul and Mary and ‘Woodstock’ — Matthews’ Southern Comfort
> 
> 10/1/2020: I will have to slow down soon as I have more classes starting soon (and I’m sensing a wee bit of writers block coming on). I know I’ve been averaging about one to two chapters a day, but I promise I will AT LEAST be able to manage once a week if I can’t manage to continue my usual pace.
> 
> Hope you’re enjoying the story so far! I look forward to reading all of your comments!

* * *

**KATNISS POV**

* * *

“We now bring to you, Panem, a special version of the Hunger Games in celebration of my ninetieth birthday,” came the voice of President Snow on the television. “The tributes will be reaped from the families of former victors, and there will be no age limit. The Games will see the children of victors battle against one another, and will also see little sisters of other tributes battle their nieces.” _No... no... Not Prim, not Lark, not my baby!_ “Including... these two very _special_ little girls...” Sitting on Snow’s lap was a little blonde toddler - Lark - and a brunette baby girl - my baby.

“No... No, no, no, no! You promised! No! NO!” I shouted.

“Katniss Everdeen, you were warned...” came Snow’s hideous voice, and he chuckled, proud of himself for his actions.

“No! No, you can’t! No!” I cried, and then I felt a surge of warmth around me.

“Katniss!” called a familiar voice, and I opened my eyes, gasping and gagging and grabbing at my throat. A bucket was shoved into my hands and I vomited into it, coughing as I tried to clear my throat of the offending substance. I then realised where I was - I was in my bedroom, at home in District Twelve. Lark was safe and asleep in her room, and my unborn child was still safe inside of me. On my back was a firm hand rubbing circles - Peeta’s - and touching my right shoulder was the only person in this entire world that I could trust wholeheartedly, who kept no secrets from me, to whom I could tell anything and everything to without fear of being punished. My Peeta, my sweet darling boy with the bread, my husband of now two years, who so lovingly held me in his arms and soothed me as I pulled myself from the grasps of my nightmare. “Shhh, honey, it’s okay,” he whispered to me, pulling my head to rest against his chest. The sound of his heartbeat - a sure sign that he was alive - soothed me instantly and I took deep breaths, clutching the foul-smelling bucket in my arms. “Nightmare?” I nodded. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

“He... he took our girls... Put them in the arena... They were so small!” I cried out, then turned to bury my face in his chest and sobbed. Peeta took the bucket from me and set it down on the bedside table, then lifted me up onto his lap and cradled me in his arms.

“Shh... Katniss, they’re safe... Our children are never going to see the arena. He promised, remember? And we did so much to make sure he kept that promise...” he whispered to me.

“But... but what if they do?” I asked him, not confident in his answer.

“Then we’ll do whatever it takes to stop that from happening,” Peeta replied. He kissed the top of my head and held me tightly, rocking me ever so slightly to calm me down. It was now mid-October, a couple of weeks after our second wedding anniversary. The Victory Tour would be arriving in three months’ time, and we may be back here, but we also might be in the Capitol. I was now seven months pregnant, and my baby was still safe inside of me. I pressed my hand to my stomach to feel my little girl kick, which she did.

“Mummy’s sorry she woke you, darling,” I said to my growing belly. Peeta’s hand found its way to rest over mine and together, we held onto my belly, which concealed our child. I know exactly what triggered that nightmare - earlier that day, a letter had arrived from the Capitol, and it contained all of the wretched Capitol names that Capitolites had voted for us to name our child, and we had to select one. There were ten names - Aria, Bijou, Daphne, Evianna, Fiorella, Lucinda, Maevis, Mireille, Seraphina and Valentina. Peeta and I hated each and every one of them, although Peeta had a very strong aversion to the name ‘Evianna’.

“I am _absolutely_ not naming my child ‘Evianna’. It’s completely out of the question,” he’d said with a hint of anger in his voice.

“All right, no ‘Evianna’,” I said, crossing the name off of the list, which left us with nine. “None of these names really say ‘District Twelve’, do they?”

“They’re not supposed to. They’re Capitol names,” Peeta said rather bitterly. I let out a sigh. No matter what, our daughter had to have one of these horrendous Capitol names, so we had to pick one. We ultimately decided to wait and see, although we needed to have one picked out before we went to the Capitol on the sixteenth of November. They wanted all the paperwork and stuff filled out quickly, which was probably why people in the Capitol even had the ability to find out the gender so early.

“I don’t think I’m ever going to rest easy again,” I said to Peeta, resting my head against his chest. “I don’t think I ever did to begin with... Not in this world.”

“I wish I could see Hebridia... I bet it’s beautiful,” Peeta whispered to me. I knew what he was saying - he wished we could live there, far away from Panem and all its horrors, where we could choose the name of our own child, choose when we had children, choose when we got married, and live a life free of fear. It was the dream, wasn’t it?

“It was... Rocky shores, the sounds of the waves crashing on the rocks paired with the cries of _faoilean_ and the bells of _putaichean_ in the harbour...”

“I don’t know what any of that means.” I giggled lightly.

“I believe ‘ _faoilean_ ’ is a type of gull... We saw them in Four. One shit on your head...”

“Seagulls! I hate those fucking birds.” I laughed again.

“ _‘Putaichean_ ’ are the things that sort of float and mark where the channel is... I don’t know if I’ve ever heard the English word for them.”

“They float? Like they’re buoyant?” I nodded. “I think... I think Annie called them ‘buoys’ when I asked her what those floating things were in the ocean.”

“Then the sounds of seagulls paired with the bells of buoys... and the sound of the ocean. Sometimes, there would be a... er... I know the word for ‘ _ceòtha’_ is ‘fog’... but I don’t know the word for ‘ _conacag’_... it’s a thing that’s long and kind of big I guess, depending on the type... You blow into it and it makes noise...”

“A horn?”

“Peeta! I am _not_ talking dirty right now!” He let out a laugh. “What?”

“‘Horn’ and ‘horny’ mean two different things, Katniss. A horn is an instrument.” Hmph. Well, I guess I was sort of describing something else, wasn’t I?

“Very well, a fog horn, although I didn’t hear one in Four. I miss the sounds of them... Actually, we very specifically called it a ‘ _conachag’_ in Hebridia.” I let out a mournful sigh as I pictured my childhood home in my head - the isle of Uibhist, the farthest west one could get in Hebridia. I missed the rocky sea wall and the sea mist that sprayed you when you ran the rocks. I missed my family home, and the lobsters, too. “I miss the smell of the air, too... Four was like it, only warmer and sweeter. The scent of Hebridia was a lot rougher and colder, but it was home.”

“Maybe you could describe it to me, and I could paint it for you.”

“Peeta, you know I’m not good with words...”

“You are with me.” I looked up at him and he smiled down at me, then leaned in to kiss me, but I turned my head. “Katniss...”

“Not until I brush my teeth. I’ve just vomited, remember?” He let out a sigh.

“Fine, hurry up. I want to kiss my wife,” he said. As I looked at my reflection in the mirror, it dawned on me that I was seven months pregnant, and that soon, I would have to travel to the Capitol again, give birth in front of who knows how many people, and give my child a name that won’t even be mine. I needed to pick one soon, whether I liked it or not, and what better time than contemplating my thoughts at half past three in the morning in front of a mirror, with my somewhat aroused husband waiting on me to join him in bed again? I ran through all the names - first, the ones that didn’t start with ‘M’.

Aria Mellark. Good God, no, I could never.

Bijou Mellark? One hundred percent out of the question. It sounded like I was naming a Capitolite pet.

Daphne Mellark. Hmm, not horrible. Still hated it, but maybe I would hate that one the least.

Evianna Mellark. Nope, Peeta already vetoed that one.

Fiorella Mellark? God, too many ‘L’s in that one. She wouldn’t be able to say her own name until she was five.

Lucinda Mellark. That didn’t even go well. Ugh, next.

Seraphina Mellark. That was way too fancy for a District Twelve girl - and that’s all she ever would be. The Capitol would love and adore her like they do Lark, but all she’ll ever be to them is a girl from District Twelve, who happened to be born to the Star-Crossed Lovers of District Twelve. Would I ever get off that train?

Valentina Mellark. Hell to the fucking _no._

Ugh. I hated all of them, even Daphne. It didn’t suit a girl from District Twelve, either. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so corny to have the same first and last initials after all...

Mireille Mellark? Again, too many ‘L’s, and it was just too fancy for the daughter of a baker and a Hebridean refugee. Then there was only one name left. Suddenly, Peeta came up behind me and wrapped his arms tightly around me, pressing his lips to my neck and kissing up to my ear.

“You took too long... I got impatient,” he whispered to me, lifting his eyes to meet mine in the mirror. His hands snaked their way to mine, which sat on my expanding abdomen. “What are you thinking about?”

“Her name...” I replied. “I like Maevis.”

“Maevis Mellark... That’s actually... not that bad,” Peeta replied. “Out of all the names, I think I like that one best.”

“Really?” I asked, turning my head to look at him.

“Well, I _certainly_ wasn’t planning on calling my daughter ‘Bijou’,” he said, and I couldn’t help but laugh, and he finally brought his lips to mine.

“It isn’t perfect... but it’ll do,” I told him, my hand resting on his face.

“What would you call her? If you had the choice.”

“Hmm... Maybe Meadow, because it’s my happy place. Or Willow, which isn’t too bad... Maybe... Maybe I’d call her a Hebridean name... Like Eilidh, or Cait. A flower name wouldn't be so bad, either.”

“When we were in District Eleven, one of Chaff’s daughters pointed out a very sweet-smelling purple flower and said it was called wisteria. That wouldn’t be a bad name.”

“Wisteria Mellark... No, it’s not so bad.”

“But that won’t be her name, will it?” We both frowned and I let out a sigh.

“No... Her name will be Maevis. Perhaps we’ll learn to fall in love with it... Who knows, maybe she is a Maevis after all.” It was hard to push out the sad thoughts that this beautiful baby wouldn’t fully be ours. In the biological terms, yes, she was fully ours, but Maevis is a creation of the Capitol, like the Hunger Games, and the Star-Crossed Lovers of District Twelve. Like the love that Peeta and I share. At least one good thing came from the Capitol, then - if Peeta and I had not been brought together, would I have ever been his happy?

I then thought back to Gale’s statement before the 76th Games. Was I really happy? I loved Peeta, and I loved Lark and I was going to love Maevis just the same. I loved being married to Peeta - I loved waking up to the smell of freshly-baked bread or cinnamon buns, and having an endless supply of cheese buns to snack on. I loved when he held me in those strong, warm arms as I loved his scent of cinnamon and dill, and a scent that was uniquely him. I loved to hear his voice when he spoke to me, and I loved the taste of his kiss on my lips. I loved holding him late at night while we made love, and I loved that, for once in my life, everything seemed secure and normal. But was it really normal? It certainly wasn’t secure. I loved Peeta and the life we had together, but I wasn’t happy, and it wasn’t because of him. It was because of the Capitol.

Every night, I went to sleep to dream a phantasmagoria of horror. Children being killed by other children, those children who survived being nothing but gaunt puppets on a string. I was one of those children who survived, and I was nothing but a gaunt puppet on a string. The ‘well-wishes’ of the people of the Capitol were given so that they could cheer on one child killing another. Oh, what a world we lived in. In my dreams, the word ‘fire’ played over and over like a broken record, but what could it mean? I am the girl on fire, or so they say, but my fires were quelled long ago. Am I to set the world burning? The world was already doing that just fine on its own. Will I ever be able to say to my children...

‘Lie down your head, little one, and dream of a place of magic, where all your wishes will come true. Close your eyes, little one, and dream for me. You are safe.’

No. Instead, I have to listen to my children say to me...

‘Mummy, where have all the flowers gone?’

They’re all gone, little one. They’ve all burned.

* * *

**PEETA POV**

* * *

Phantasmagoric images of the Games alluded to my private thoughts. I could ignore it no longer - I had to fight. For my daughters, for my wife, for my right to live freely and the way that I wanted to live my life. I dreamt that the arena burned, the true sky shining through the holes that the fires had made, shining down true sunlight onto my face. I dreamt that the hovercrafts turned into clouds of golden butterflies that shimmered in the natural light - war turned into peace, right above our nation. I couldn’t wait anymore. It was time to get the ball rolling. It was time to start a rebellion.

I’d sat back for too long, beaten down and left begging for Snow to beat me some more with the hope that he wouldn’t bring harm to my family, but he’d already hurt them so much. This was my chance, right here and right now, when I wasn’t in the centre of the spotlight, but still there in the background. I could still be seen and heard, but the focus was no longer on me. This was my shot, and I wasn’t going to throw that away.

“Haymitch,” I said when I knocked on his door early one morning, a basket full of bread in my hands. “Did you still want help moving that bookshelf to the attic?” We were up there in an instant, the bread abandoned on his kitchen counter and a small bookshelf now missing from his living room. I waited for the old drunkard to reach into his pocket and press the button of his blocker.

“So boy... you in?” he asked me.

“I want in,” I said. “I want to put a stop to this... I want to create a better world for Katniss and my daughters even if it means that I don’t get to live to see it.”

“Now, boy, calm down, don’t get too eager. People who get too eager do rash and stupid things, and we ain’t gonna do rash and stupid things,” Haymitch replied. “All I can do right now is get in touch with Alpha. You gotta go have that kid in the Capitol. Don’t play anythin’ suspicious. It’s time you got one step ahead of Snow.”

“Who’s Alpha?” I asked him.

“The leader, of course,” Haymitch replied. “Don’t you know nothin’ about alphas?”

“So that’s all I can do? Go to the Capitol and do what Snow wants me to do?”

“Do you wanna get caught onto?”

“Well... no...” 

“Then that’s what you gotta do. I know it sucks, boy, but you gotta do what you gotta do. We gotta be real careful about this. Don’t get impatient. In due time, everythin’ will fall into place. You still gotta get the girl on board, too.”

“Katniss isn’t going to agree to this...”

“So make her. You’re the boy with the golden tongue. You make that girl listen to you, and you’re the only one she damn well will listen to.” I let out a sigh.

“It won’t be easy...”

“When has anythin’ ever been ‘easy’?” I let out a chuckle.

“Fair point... We still have to get through this birth... and the Victory Tour... and then we’ll have another Games... Haymitch, they won’t wait until the next Games, will they?”

“Depends on if sweetheart wants to play or not. Listen, boy... wait until after she has the kid. I know we wanna get started as soon as possible, but she’s gotta be in the right frame of mind or she’ll never agree. That girl’s stubborn as hell. We’ll plan a meetin’ soon, and if you ain’t in the Capitol by then, I’ll make sure you’re there, too.”

“Thank you,” I told him, and I hugged my mentor tightly.

“Hey, hey! Get outta here with that mushy shit! I ain’t about that!” Haymitch exclaimed, pushing me off of him. “Get on back to your girl. Remember, ain’t nothin’ interestin’ happenin’ here. I’m just an old drunkard, and you’re a baker with a wife and two kids. Got it?” I nodded. “Good, now go on. It don’t take this long to bring a goddamn bookshelf upstairs.”

I rushed back downstairs and to my home, and when I got there, I picked Katniss up off of her feet and hugged her very tightly, kissing her face. But she wasn’t reciprocating. Confused, I set her back down, and then I saw the frightened expression on her face.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” I asked her, holding her face in my hands.

“We’re being summoned to the Capitol... They... They want her born sooner...” she said, tears threatening her voice.

“What? Is that safe? They can’t do that!” I exclaimed.

“They can, and they’ve got the technology to do it, too. They want us there on the thirty-first of October...”

“But... that’s two weeks away...”

“I know. Peeta... we don’t have a choice... In the letter, he... he said... our deal would be over, if we didn’t go...” And all of a sudden, my own fires were quelled. The butterflies went back into formation and recreated the hovercraft that had turned into them, and then every hole in the sky of the arena was patched. The sunlight faded, and I slipped into darkness once more. I couldn’t risk the lives nor the sanity of my wife and children. I held her tightly in my arms, vowing that I wouldn’t leave her side for a single moment, but it was no comfort to either of us.

No matter what, Snow was always one step ahead of us.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will Peeta back out of his agreement to join the rebellion? Will Snow always be one step ahead?
> 
> Will I ever stop torturing these poor characters?
> 
> Read and review to find out!


	17. Shadows of Secrecy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katniss gives birth to her second child in the Capitol, then receives another requirement from Snow. Katniss suspects that Peeta is up to something and isn’t telling her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Featured song: ‘Loch Lomond’

* * *

**KATNISS POV**

* * *

Before we were to leave for the Capitol, I wanted to go into the woods one final time, but Peeta was watching me very closely. After we failed to bring home Vick, Peeta told me that he didn’t want me going to the woods anymore on days or at times that Gale might be there. “He threatened you, Katniss, and he’s made it very clear that he has no problem hurting you, irregardless of your situation,” his reasoning was, and truth to be told, I couldn’t blame him. He just wanted to protect me, I knew that, but being forced to stay in the house all the time was driving me mad. He didn’t want me visiting Gale’s family, either, for the same reason, even though Gale was doing twelve-hour shifts in the mines. “We don’t know how his other brother feels...”

“Rory isn’t like Gale,” I’d told him.

“And there was a time when I wouldn’t have hurt a fly, but now I’d have no problem slugging Gale a few times after what he did to you. The Games change people, Katniss,” he’d replied. He was right, but it really did suck not being able to visit my old family friends. Prim kept me good company, though. She would be fifteen soon, and with her being older, we could relate to one another easier. The day before we were due to leave for the Capitol, Prim and I were in my old home having tea and cookies together, and Prim was telling me about how Cascade, one of the district midwives I worked with, agreed to train her to become a midwife.

“She won’t let me learn until I’m fifteen. I begged her though because you started learning when you were thirteen, so why can’t I?” she’d asked me.

“I’d already had some experience, little duck. I used to apprentice for my own mother back when I lived in Hebridia,” I told her, taking a sip from my tea.

“As a child?” I nodded. “I thought you didn’t like any of that stuff.”

“I didn’t, but I admired the hell out of my mother and I wanted to be like her, and then when she died... it was one of few things of her that I had left to hold onto,” I told her.

“I don’t know what I’d do if I lost my mother. You’re so much stronger than me, Katniss.”

“I’m not as strong as you think...” I let out a sigh, then checked the time on the wall clock. “I should get going... I need to pack for Lark, and this baby.”

“Maevis, right?” I nodded as I stood, holding my belly to reorient myself. “It really is a pretty name. I know it’s not a name you would have chosen, but it is pretty. And she’s going to be beautiful.” I couldn’t help but smile.

“I just hope she looks like Peeta... Hell, I hope every child we have to have looks like him. It’ll make all of this more bearable.” With that said, I made my way back to my home, to where Peeta was struggling with toilet training Lark. We’d started her early to make the transition for her easier, since we’d soon have another baby in the house, and she wasn’t very happy about it at all. Peeta tried bribing her with cookies, but she sure was a stubborn little thing. I suppose she gets that from me.

We were on the train early the next morning, having been ushered in quickly by Effie, who gave us paperwork to fill out first thing. We had to write in our daughter’s name, as well as my own and Peeta’s, and any other names we might have had. It also bore the expected date of birth for our child, which was Sunday, the first of November, 2161. “They don’t give me a lot of time to settle in, do they?” I asked Peeta, who looked frustrated as he looked over the paperwork.

“We get there on Saturday, you give birth on Sunday. Everything in the Capitol works like clockwork, doesn’t it?” he said. He was clearly unhappy about the situation, and I only wished that there was something I could do to make this easier on him.

“Just wait for next Monday... That’s when we’ll be back home, with Lark and our new baby safe inside of their own beds,” I told him, taking his bicep in my arm.

“It feels ages away,” Peeta replied, placing one of his hands over mine and giving me the best smile he could muster, which, truthfully, wasn’t much. We arrived in the Capitol in the early hours of the thirty-first of October and were brought to some special suite in the hospital, which certainly was every bit ornate that we were promised.

“This is the Presidential Suite! Oh, how _lucky_ you two are indeed! Every prominent Capitol figurehead was born in this very room, including President Snow himself!” Effie exclaimed. Somehow, I didn’t believe that, but lying to the people was certainly Snow’s greatest strength. The room wasn’t particularly large, but it had a rather large bed that faced a large window, where the buyers would be watching. It made me sick to think that I was going to be watched by complete strangers, but at least they were allowing Peeta to be by my side. I wouldn’t be able to get through this if it weren’t for him. Effie left us to get settled, taking Lark to the room that she would be staying in, leaving Peeta and me by ourselves.

“Are you ready for another little set of feet to run around the house?” Peeta asked me. I nodded, not saying a word as I took in the room we would be staying in. I hated it, along with everything else in the Capitol. Sure it was nice and fancy and very comfortable, but it was too much. All I wanted was to give birth in my bed at home, with Prim assisting whatever midwife answered the call and Peeta by my side. But no, I would have a string of Capitol doctors and nurses and an entire audience watching the show. I felt Peeta snake his arms around me and his lips on the back of my neck, and I turned in his arms and hugged him as best as I could.

The Capitol doctors checked me over as soon as Peeta and I were settled and decided that the baby was doing well, then informed me that the birth would be at ten in the morning the next day. “But that isn’t how childbirth works,” I said to the doctor. “Babies come when they’re ready. It takes time.”

“Are you trying to tell me, a doctor, how to do my job, Mrs. Mellark?” the doctor asked me, clearly irritated with my outburst.

“I’m a midwife back at home, so I know a thing or two about childbirth,” I replied stubbornly.

“Well, Miss Midwife, I can _assure_ you that we have a _very_ different way of delivering babies here in the Capitol than you do in your... districts,” said the doctor, his disgust evident in his voice. “Ten o’clock, tomorrow morning, this baby will be here. You can be certain of that.” I wasn’t happy. Not even a little bit, and I told Peeta as much using only my eyes when he was finally allowed back into the room.

“I wish I could do this for you,” he told me, holding my hand in his and bringing it to his lips. “I hate the idea of you suffering so much.”

“Not like I haven’t done it before,” I said, forcing a smile. It was true, I had given birth before, but Lark was so much smaller than Maevis would be, with almost an extra full month to grow inside of me. But emotionally, I didn’t suffer nearly as much as I would when giving birth to Maevis, and Peeta and I both knew that that was what he had meant. When talking out loud, we had to use words that didn’t compromise us, but we had a special unspoken language that only the two of us understood. It made being in the Capitol all the more bearable.

Later in the day, the doctor came to induce my labour, and I would labour all throughout the night so I could be ready to give birth right on schedule at ten in the morning. I was also given quite a high dosage of morphling, not enough to sleep but enough to take the pain away and feel a touch of the euphoric feeling of the morphling. I didn’t sleep that night, as my head was spinning, but Peeta was passed out on the bed beside me. Lucky him, able to sleep through just about anything. His arm was draped over my abdomen and his head was resting on my shoulder, and with the hand that wasn’t holding him, I reached up to brush a strand of his honey golden hair from his sweet face. He looked so much younger when he slept, as if he were still untouched by the horrors of the Games. Still innocent, still not knowing how much of a chunk of his personality it takes to kill another human being. Still blindly loving me without truly knowing me. Suddenly, his breathing started to quicken, and he opened his blue eyes to stare right into my grey ones, fear swimming in his eyes, and the moment he reached up to touch my face, the panic in his eyes dissipated, and he gave me a gentle smile.

“Are you okay?” I asked him, surprised by this display.

“I am now,” he told me, shifting his head to kiss my shoulder.

“Did you have a nightmare?” I asked again, and he nodded. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I’m fine, now that I know you’re here... My nightmares are usually about losing you, and as soon as I wake up and see you safe beside me, I’m okay,” he replied.

“Peeta,” I said, taking him fully in my arms and pressing my lips to his temple. “I know no amount of me saying it will fully reassure you, but I’ll never leave you... I won’t allow it to happen.”

“I know you won’t. I just wish the nightmares would stop,” he said quietly.

At nine in the morning, an hour before I was due to deliver, I could hear voices starting to gather on the other side of the window. The doctors were coming in to examine me to determine the dilation of my cervix and were monitoring Maevis’s heart rate. Effie came in to wish us all luck, then said that she would have to miss the birth due to some important work, but she gave Peeta a handful of notecards. “When she’s born, you’re to announce her name and give a speech to the people of Panem,” she told Peeta, who let out a sigh. Not even his first words about his daughter could be his. Snow had really taken everything away from us, didn’t he?

At ten o’clock on the dot, the curtains were opened, and I was exposed for all the Capitolite buyers to see. There was a curtain up for me right over my belly, so really, I couldn’t see anything, but I could feel all of their wretched eyes on my most intimate parts. I had to squeeze my eyes shut to prevent a tear from escaping, and Peeta caught it with his thumb. He gave me the best smile he could muster and gave my hand a squeeze while the doctor addressed the patrons. “People of the Capitol, you are here to witness the birth of the second child of the Star-Crossed Lovers of District Twelve, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, victors of the 74th Hunger Games. I ask for silence out of consideration for the mother,” he said, and I scoffed. Consideration, hm? If he cared about consideration, he’d have advocated for me to give birth in peace with no greedy eyes staring at me, and to give birth when Maevis was ready to come. I suppose like I was being forced to give birth early, Maevis was being forced to be born early, and neither of us had a say in the matter.

I still couldn’t feel a thing, but I was instructed to push. My head was very cloudy from the morphling, as well as the stress and the panic of being out on display for all to see during what ought to be a rather private moment, so every sound I heard was muffled. I didn’t make a sound, refusing to let these Capitolites hear a peep out of me, as I followed the doctor’s instructions. Time passed very slowly, and Peeta’s grip on my hand never loosened. He wasn’t permitted to watch, so he stayed by my side and held my hand, talking to me the whole time, but I didn’t hear a thing he said. I felt his lips on my head and then at my ear, could have sworn I heard him whisper the words, “You’re almost done... I love you so much, my strong girl.” Before I knew it, high-pitched cries erupted from the place between my legs, which could only mean one thing: the child had been born. I could hear the cheers of those nosy Capitol fools on the other side of the window and I felt Peeta’s firm hand on the back of my head, the other on my shoulder. I couldn’t take it anymore. I was dizzy from everything - the stress, the morphling, not knowing what was being done to me, not being able to hear a word that was said to me. My field of vision began to darken and shrink and the last thing I saw before I blacked out was Peeta’s sky blue eyes.

When I woke up, it was hours later, and nurses were surrounding me chattering away about something. I heard Peeta shoo them away and ask them to leave me alone, claiming I was overwhelmed and needed to be left alone. They scowled at him, but agreed, and I felt the bed shift as Peeta sat down beside me. My eyes were squeezed shut as I shifted just slightly on the bed, sore from the birth and dizzy from just about everything else. I felt Peeta’s hand take mine in his and give it a squeeze, and I finally opened my eyes, looking up to see the man I had come to love smiling down at me, holding a small bundle in his arms. “Hey,” he said quietly. “Feeling better?”

“N-not really...” I replied weakly. “What... what... happened...”

“You fainted after the baby was born. The doctor thinks it was from the blood loss,” Peeta replied, and I gave him a confused expression.

“Blood loss?” I asked, my eyes darting around the room to take in my surroundings. Sure enough, there was a bag of blood labelled ‘AB+’ hanging from a pole attached to my arm.

“He said you started hemorrhaging... then said it was too early for the baby to be born, but Snow didn’t care. He wanted her born, and the doctor had to comply. You tore a little bit, too, down there...” So the doctor who rolled his eyes at me really did advocate for me and my safety, and once again, Snow didn’t care. “Everything’s okay now, though. You’re safe, you’re all stitched up and it’s all over.” I glanced up at the bundle in his arms.

“Is that...”

“Maevis? Yeah... the Capitol didn’t really like what we chose, but it was still one of the names so they had to deal with it. The popular vote was apparently tied for Seraphina and Valentina.” He looked down at his second daughter in his arms. “Do you... wanna hold her?” I shook my head, and a flash of confusion passed in his eyes.

“I... I don’t feel very well still...” I said in defense, but really, I didn’t want to hold that creation of the Capitol. Not yet, at least, until I absolutely had to, which I would eventually. “Describe her to me.”

“Well... she looks a lot like you. Beautiful, brown hair, bright blue eyes... She’s got your nose, and your smile.”

“Babies don’t smile at that age, Peeta...”

“It looks like a smile.” He smiled sadly down at his daughter, then lowered his lips to her tiny forehead. “You know... she might be of Capitol creation... but she’s still our daughter. I love her so much... I think you should hold her, Katniss.” Damn, he knew me so well.

“I just want to sleep, Peeta,” I told him, and he sighed.

“Very well... We’ll try again later. You can try feeding her later, too. She’s got some formula for now, but of course, nothing’s better for a baby than-”

“Formula will be just fine,” I said, interrupting him. His face fell a little, and he stood up from the bed, walking over to the small bassinet that had appeared in our room in February and placing the swaddled infant into it. He leaned down to kiss his daughter on the head, then turned to face me.

“I’m gonna go check on Lark. She hasn’t met her little sister yet, but I’d like them to meet soon,” he said. He then crossed over to the bed and leaned down to give me a kiss, but I only turned my head; he let out a sigh and then kissed my cheek, then left me alone with my thoughts.

I didn’t hate Maevis. I want that to be known right off the bat, but Maevis didn’t feel like she belonged to me. She really _didn’t_ belong to me, and truth to be told, neither did Lark. Both of them were children of the Capitol, even though they were born to two citizens of District Twelve. It felt... strange... to love Maevis - like I was loving some Capitol child as my own, even though she came from me and Peeta. I couldn’t look at her, didn’t want to hold her, couldn’t feed her like I could Lark... I simply asked the nurse, when Peeta was out of the room, to bind my breasts and help me dry up my milk, cutting off even Lark from her own supply. I told Peeta that I couldn’t feed either of them from my breast anymore because my milk ducts had dried up, but I don’t think he believed me.

* * *

**PEETA POV**

* * *

Lark was crying on the day that we were finally to return home, and Katniss was still feeling weak, so I picked up my almost two-year-old daughter to carry to the train station, along with one of our bags. “Katniss, can you carry Maevis?” I asked my wife, and her eyes seemed to go wide with shock. “Please?”

“I...” she muttered, refusing to meet my eyes, and I let out a sigh.

“Katniss, she’s your daughter, too. Please pick her up?” I asked again. Katniss hadn't held Maevis at all, which worried me a little. I knew that the idea of Maevis practically being a creation of the Capitol disturbed her, but Maevis was still our child. She was still conceived naturally and in an act of love, and she was still born naturally. Perhaps the trauma of being induced early and being watched by the Capitol was a bit much for her, so I’d try to take her to Dr. Gifford in Twelve when we got back, or even try to get Prim to talk to her. With a sigh, I set both Lark and the bag down on the bed, then picked Maevis up from the bassinet, depositing her in Katniss’s arms. I knew Katniss wouldn’t let her fall, so for the first time, Katniss held her second daughter in her arms. Her eyes darted up to mine as I backed away, then picked up Lark and the bag again. “Right, let’s get going. We’ve got a train to catch.”

She was quiet on the train ride home. She wasn’t as opposed to holding Maevis anymore, but she still wouldn’t look at her newborn daughter, nor would she even try to feed her. I thought it strange that she could feed Lark with no trouble for almost two years and then suddenly be unable to, but I didn’t question her motives. None of this was easy on her, and I knew that, and I tried my best to be patient with her, but it was a lot harder than it looked.

Lark seemed to like her little sister, at least when she was quiet. When I introduced the sisters for the first time, Lark seemed entranced by her, until Maevis started to cry, to which Lark said, “No like! No like, Daddy!” I couldn’t really blame her, either - no one liked the cries of a baby. Things didn’t really change when we finally got home, not like I’d hoped. Katniss changed Maevis and held her for very short periods of time, but I was always the one feeding her from her bottle, and she never comforted Maevis. She claimed she just couldn’t do it, and then she would lay in bed for hours not even bothering to move. I tried asking Agnessa to speak to her, and Prim as well, but no one could get through to her. She seemed dead to the world, running only on autopilot. It only made me want to rebel more.

It shouldn’t be this way. Katniss shouldn’t be so depressed that she can’t get out of bed, made so by the forced birth of a child she was unprepared for, her trauma broadcast across the Capitol for all to see. It was filmed for those who didn’t pay to see it in person, and I couldn’t bear to watch it. It was horrifying, really - all the blood that came out of her. I turned off the television and tried not to think about it, but the blood would only give me nightmares. Thinking back to my wife and newborn daughter, Maevis should be loved by her mother as equally as her sister was, and it wasn’t fair that Katniss struggled to learn to love our younger daughter thanks to what Snow and the Capitol put her through. She pretended to for any cameras that came, but that was about the extent of her feelings towards her child. I only wished I could rebel on my own and not have to try to convince Katniss to front it. I wished that I could be what Alpha called their Mockingjay instead, but she wanted Katniss. I felt helpless in the entire situation.

The year 2161 turned into 2162, and I sat alone in my living room feeding Maevis while Lark slept with her head in my lap, Katniss lying upstairs in bed. It had now been almost two months since Maevis was born, and the situation hadn’t improved. I couldn’t sit back and let Katniss reject our daughter anymore.

“Katniss, get up,” I said firmly to my wife early the next day. She didn’t answer me. “Katniss, I’m serious. I’ve had enough of you laying in bed all day wasting away and not giving a damn about what’s going on around you.” Still no answer. I crossed to the bed and pulled the covers off of her, then grabbed her by the wrists and pulled her to sit.

“Peeta, please,” she muttered, wanting to be left alone.

“No, you’ve had your time to sit in bed and be sad. Lark and Maevis need their mother, Katniss, and in case you’ve forgotten, that’s _you_ . I can’t give them the love that only a mother can, _you_ have to do that. I can’t take care of two children all on my own, I need _your_ help with that. We created _both_ of these girls _together_ and you’ve completely abandoned me, and them, too! How could you do this to your daughters, Katniss?”

“Leave me alone,” she said, fighting to pull her arms from my grasp, but I was relentless. I picked her up by her midsection and set her on her feet, grabbing her wrist and dragging her to Maevis’s bedroom. “Peeta! Peeta, stop!”

“Enough is enough, Katniss,” I said, stopping at the door and turning to face her. “I love you to death, but I will _not_ sit back and let you neglect our children. You’ve turned into the exact thing that you feared most - you’ve turned into Agnessa, when your uncle died.” It was a low blow, but I wasn’t wrong. “Now, you go in there and you learn to love our daughter the same way you love Lark, and the _same_ way that your mother loved you. Just because she was forced on you by Snow doesn’t mean that she doesn’t deserve to be loved any less. Her being here is _not_ her fault. Do not blame her for what’s been done to you.”

“Peeta... I... I can’t...” she muttered, fighting off tears in her eyes.

“You can, and you will,” I told her. It broke my heart to see her so beaten down and broken by Snow and the Capitol, but I couldn’t let up. Maevis wasn’t at fault for what had been done to Katniss, and I refused to let her take the blame out on her own daughter. I opened the door and gave Katniss a shove into it, then stood in the doorway to block it. The room was dark, on the backside of the house, and Maevis slept peacefully in her crib - or at least, she did, until she heard me raising my voice at Katniss. Maevis began to cry, and I refused to be the one to comfort her. Katniss had to do it. I knew she had it in her to love that child, but the mind does crazy things, or at least, that’s what the psychology book that I snatched from Haymitch’s house had said. ‘Postpartum Depression’, it had said to define Katniss’s condition - it was depression following the birth of a child. Sometimes, it could be brought on by trauma that happened during the pregnancy, and sometimes, it happened just because. It was obvious which case we were dealing with.

I watched as Katniss looked back at me, and then at the crib, where our crying daughter lay waiting to be comforted, and Katniss carefully approached it. She looked down into the crib, at our beautiful daughter with my sky blue eyes and Katniss’s rich chocolate brown hair, seemingly contemplating for a moment if she should run or not - if she _could_ run, maybe, since I was blocking the door. “Pick her up, Katniss,” I told her calmly, encouraging her. She didn’t right away - instead, her hands rested on the crib as she looked down at our baby, still crying and screaming for her mother, and then she reached one hand down into the crib to touch Maevis’s small little face. It worked just a little, but Maevis longed to be held by her mother. Finally breaking herself from her spell, Katniss reached into the crib with her hands and gently lifted the infant from the crib, first holding her away from her body to examine her, and then she held Maevis tight against her chest.

“Shh, shh...” she said to our daughter, supporting her in her arms and gently rubbing Maevis’s back. “ _Tha mi duilich, m’eudail_.” She spoke in Gàidhlig to our daughter, the same way she spoke to Lark sometimes. I didn’t know exactly what it meant, but I think it was an apology. She said it sometimes to Lark when she stepped on or kicked one of her toys by mistake. Maevis continued to cry in Katniss’s arms.

“Sing to her,” I said quietly. Without looking at me, Katniss turned her head to gently press her lips against Maevis’s head, and she began to sing.

_By yon bonnie banks and by yon bonnie braes,_

_Where the sun shines bright on Loch Lomond..._

_Where me and my true love were ever wont to gae,_

_On the bonnie, bonnie banks o’ Loch Lomond..._

_O ye’ll tak’ the high road and I’ll tak’ low road,_

_And I’ll be in Scotland a’fore ye,_

_But me and my true love will never meet again,_

_On the bonnie, bonnie banks o’ Loch Lomond..._

It was an old folk song that I sometimes heard the miners sing, particularly the Hebridean ones. It dated from the Old Days long ago, before the Dark Days and before Panem was even Panem, and probably before Hebridia was even Hebridia. I didn’t know exactly what ‘Scotland’ was, but I’m guessing it was a place, maybe even the land that used to be Hebridia.

Maevis’s cries quieted as her mother held and comforted her and sang to her quietly, and I took the opportunity to walk up behind her and wrap my arms tightly around my wife and my two-month-old daughter. “I’m sorry, Peeta...” she whispered to me, but I shook my head.

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” I replied quietly, so as not to disturb Maevis. I kissed my beloved wife’s temple. “I swear to you that I will do anything I can to protect you and our daughters... Anything, Katniss. Nothing will ever hurt you ever again.” She thought I meant that I would do anything to appease Snow, but she didn’t know that I already had my own plans of rebellion forming in my head. Right now, it was too dangerous for her to know... She wouldn’t agree no matter what I said. Well, maybe she didn’t have to agree. Maybe I could use that ‘golden tongue’ that everyone claimed I had to influence Alpha into letting me be this Mockingjay that she so desperately wanted. Katniss didn’t have to know a thing.

* * *

**KATNISS POV**

* * *

For about a month, things were pretty okay. I was still sad, and sometimes I still had a bad day, but Peeta was always supportive of me and brought me cheese buns and hot chocolate to get through the day, as long as I didn’t shut him or our daughters out. Every day, I began to love Maevis a little more, and I stopped blaming her for being born. Peeta was right, it wasn’t her fault, and she didn’t deserve to be loved any less because of how she was brought into the world. She ended up having quite the personality, loving to laugh and seeming to be extra ticklish, which Peeta indulged himself on just to hear her little giggles.

“You have to protect your little sister,” I told Lark when me and my two girls were sitting on mine and Peeta’s bed. “It’s a big sister’s job to make sure her little sister is safe.”

“I protek Meevis!” Lark exclaimed in her sweet little toddler voice. Truthfully, it was the sweetest thing to see the two sisters interacting. Of course, Lark had her mischievous moments where she would pinch her little sister to get a reaction, and she got properly scolded and punished accordingly, but for the most part, Lark was an excellent big sister.

Peeta could finally leave me alone with both Lark and Maevis around the time of the Victory Tour, and this time, we left our children with Agnessa and Prim when the victor, Delectra Altra from District Five, came through to visit Twelve. She’d said she hadn’t known much about either of our tributes, but she and Millie had made a game out of learning the edible plants in training, and she’d stopped Vick from eating a poisonous plant in the arena, sparing his life - or delaying the inevitable. Compared to the previous year’s victor, Delectra was quiet and kind, and she held no disrespect for the tributes she had outlived.

When February came, the snow came with it - all kinds of snow. I was upstairs tending to Maevis one chilly morning - Peeta was next door with Haymitch to check on him - and I heard a sound downstairs. Thinking it was Peeta coming home, I finished up tending to Maevis and carried her downstairs. “Peeta?” I called, poking my head into the kitchen, but he wasn’t there. I heard Lark giggle from the living room, which could only mean that Peeta was there greeting his older daughter, so I left the kitchen - and then stopped, frozen in place, in the doorway of the living room. There, sitting on my couch, was President Snow, holding Lark on his lap. She was giggling as she showed him a doll that she had gotten at her first birthday party in the Capitol, and President Snow seemed quite amused with her.

“Mrs. Mellark, have a seat,” said Snow, acknowledging my existence and gesturing for me to sit down in an armchair across from him - in my own home. Careful not to show my fear, I sat down in the armchair with Maevis, now three months old, on my lap. “How are you faring, Mrs. Mellark? I understand there were... complications... following the birth of your child.”

“Yes... I... had a touch of... postpartum depression, but, I am doing better now,” I replied, feigning a smile. He nodded.

“Excellent. I am glad you are in optimal health,” Snow replied. “Surely, you know why I am here?” Confusion knitted itself into my brow and I shook my head.

“I’m afraid not, President Snow,” I replied, and he chuckled gently.

“Of course you wouldn’t, would you?” Was he going to be cryptic now? “Better you don’t know. Tell me, how is motherhood treating you?”

“Very well, I love my girls more than anything in the world,” I replied, squeezing Maevis a little closer to me, and she let out a whine.

“Miss Maevis is looking very healthy.”

“She is. She’s a very healthy baby, thanks to the efforts of the Capitol.” Snow paused for a moment, likely contemplating his next move.

“Mrs. Mellark, I am not sure if you are aware... but it is a requirement for victors to produce at least one heir of each sex.”

“I was not aware of that, no.”

“You are now. Your next child is to be male, Mrs. Mellark. I do hope you see to it.”

“President Snow, forgive me, but I can assure you that I have no way of controlling that. The gender is... completely random. It’s a fifty percent change for a boy or a girl.”

“Not in the Capitol. We can... correct... the sex of the next child you conceive while still in the womb.” My throat went dry. Correct? Change the sex of my child? If they could do that, then what the hell else could they do to my child? “Where is Mr. Mellark today?”

“He... he’s next door, visiting Haymitch... m-making sure he’s... alive and all...”

“I see,” said Snow, amused with making me uncomfortable. “And does he do this often?”

“Haymitch doesn’t have any family, so... we’ve sort of become his family... Peeta likes to take care of people who need it, so... he’s taken it upon himself to make sure that Haymitch is fed and all.”

“How many times a day would you say he goes to visit Mr. Abernathy?” Why exactly was this relevant?

“I don’t know... He doesn’t visit _every_ day, but he usually will visit in the mornings to bring him some fresh bread. He’s never there for more than an hour. Why? What is this about?”

“Nothing for you to worry your _dear_ little head about. You are doing well, Mrs. Mellark. Our arrangement is proving beneficial to us both.” He lifted Lark from his lap and set her on her feet, then stood from the couch. “I must be on my way. You have a year and a half to produce another child, Mrs. Mellark. When you conceive, you will be brought to the Capitol to see if any... corrections... need to be made.”

“A year and a half?” I asked out loud.

“A year and a half. Good day to you, Mrs. Mellark. We shall meet again in July, for the Hunger Games.” With that said, he made his way out of the room, and I wanting to seem comfortable with my rather unexpected guest stood with Maevis on my hip and followed him to the door. When he descended the stairs, escorted by two peacekeepers, Peeta exited Haymitch’s house and froze where he stood, his eyes on President Snow and watching him very carefully. “Good day to you, Mr. Mellark,” Snow said to him.

“President Snow,” Peeta replied neutrally, not missing a beat. Snow stepped into a black car that awaited him, and the black car drove off, neither Peeta nor me moving until it was out of sight. When it finally cleared the hill, Peeta ran to me and threw his arms around me, embracing me tightly and causing Maevis to cry.

“What was that about?” he whispered into my ear urgently.

“He wants us to have another, a boy... by next summer...” I said, pulling back from his embrace just a little to soothe Maevis. “And he was asking about you and your visits to Haymitch.” At that, his eyes widened, and he tensed up. I thought this a very strange reaction for a daily task as innocent as delivering bread to our mentor.

“What did you tell him?” he whispered to me quietly.

“The truth, that you were bringing him bread and checking up on him,” I replied, raising an eyebrow suspiciously. “That _is_ the truth, yes?”

“Yes... of course...” he replied, but something told me that it couldn’t be farther from the truth. “Let’s... let’s get inside, it’s too cold out here for her...” He was referring to Maevis, and he ushered us inside, closing the door behind him. Though we never locked our doors - never had to - I heard him slide the lock into place. His entire demeanour changed when Lark ran into the foyer and latched herself onto his leg.

“Daddy!” she exclaimed, and Peeta’s face lit up.

“Hey, there, honeybun!” he said, picking her up and kissing her on the cheek. He gave me a smile, then went into the kitchen, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that Peeta was up to something, and that he was keeping it from me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will Katniss find out what Peeta’s up to, and why Snow seems so interested in his visits with Haymitch? What will it do to their relationship?
> 
> Please review!


	18. The Ghost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The reaping for the 77th Hunger Games take place. An old flame comes back to haunt Snow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ‘Lucy Gray’ by William Wordsworth  
> ‘The Hanging Tree’ — Jennifer Lawrence
> 
> **FEATURES SPOILERS OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES**

* * *

**PEETA POV**

* * *

With Snow questioning why I was spending time with Haymitch, we had to lay low for a bit, so talk of the rebellion was limited. Instead, I did exactly what Katniss told Snow I did - brought him fresh bread, spent time with him to make sure he was all right, and kept his liquor supply up. We occasionally discussed plans by writing notes to one another, since those could be burned easily, but soon, we had to do that less as the weather got warmer and warmer, and there was less of a need for fire.

May rolled around and with it, warm weather, so Katniss and I decided to take the girls down to the lake. Lark was now two years and three months old, and Maevis was six months old, and Katniss was ready to teach Lark how to swim. “Are you sure she’s old enough for that?” I asked her, unsure if that was such a good idea.

“I was younger than her when I learned how to swim, and I learned in icy cold waters. She’s got it lucky, this one,” Katniss replied. And so she taught our older daughter to swim, and Lark seemed to love it. She laughed and giggled and splashed Katniss, all while I sat on the rocks holding Maevis on my lap, who playfully clapped her little hands along to the joy of her sister in the lake. When playtime was over, we had our picnic lunch, and Katniss had both girls lie down for a nap in the warm spring sun while she and I sat together. Katniss was quiet - unusually quiet, for a moment alone between us - and she was thumbing her wedding band on her finger.

“What’re you thinking about?” I asked her, running a hand through her hair. She didn’t look up at me, but instead, focused her attention entirely on her wedding band.

“Peeta... if there was something going on, you’d tell me, wouldn’t you?” she asked me.

“Of course I would, why wouldn’t I?” I asked her, not sure what she was getting at. She couldn’t know about my plans for joining the rebellion, could she? Or about what happened in the Capitol now nearly two and a half years ago? She couldn’t know about that...

“It’s just... You seem... I dunno... different, lately,” she replied, and then she looked up at me. “As if you’ve got some sort of... hidden agenda.”

“Katniss, you know I don’t keep secrets from you,” I told her. I hated lying to her, but I couldn’t allow her to get hurt.

“So then what are you really doing with Haymitch? Why was Snow suspicious of it?”

“Honey, I promise you, I  _ really _ have been bringing him bread and I  _ really _ have been sitting with him and making sure he’s okay,” I told her confidently. At least by May, that part was fully true, as Haymitch and I hadn’t discussed the rebellion in weeks. The suspicious look in her eye told me she didn’t believe me, but she looked back out at the lake.

“I don’t understand then... What’s so suspicious about an old drunkard and his practically adopted son?”

“Adopted son? Haymitch would sooner shoot himself in the foot than adopt me for a son,” I said, letting out a forced chuckle, but she wasn’t amused. I let out a sigh and raised a hand to rub her back. “If there was anything for you to be concerned about, you know I’d tell you. Trust me, there’s nothing exciting about watching him sleep all day.”

“So if he’s sleeping, why are you there for so long?”

“Because I told him I’d spend an hour with him every time I visit. I thought giving him some kind of routine might... I don’t know... help him or something.”

“And has it? Having a routine?”

“Maybe a little bit...” I let out a sigh. “I don’t know. It’s hard to help someone who doesn’t want to be helped.”

“Then let him rot, if that’s what he wants. It seemed to work just fine for him for twenty-three years before we came along.”

“That’s because he had no one to care for him in those twenty-three years. Honey, he lost his family. He had a mother, two little sisters, even a girlfriend... Two, actually. Not at the same time.” She looked back at me, her eyebrow cocked in curiosity. “I asked Effie for the footage from his Games... You know, the Second Quarter Quell. He’d outlived so many tributes, and he killed the last one by throwing a weapon into this giant cliff thing and it threw his weapon back up and into the head of the last tribute. He said the Capitol didn’t like that he’d used that feature to his advantage... I thought it was pretty clever, personally.”

“Was it like the technology used to prevent people from jumping off of the tribute tower?” I nodded.

“When he came back, things were okay for a while. He, his mother and sisters and his girlfriend all seemed happy and everything seemed good, until... it wasn’t. I don’t know exactly what happened, but Haymitch said a witness said the four of them were summoned to the Justice Building when Haymitch was on his Victory Tour, and when he came back... they were gone. Never to be seen again.”

“Oh... that’s so... horrible... What about the second girlfriend?”

“He met her years later, not long before we were born, apparently. She was a merchant girl, recently widowed and had no family or children... She disappeared, too, but Haymitch wouldn’t tell me about that one.”

“I suppose we’ve all got our demons.”

“Yeah...” I couldn’t lie to her, not the woman I loved. I promised to love her and be honest with her through anything and everything, and here I was keeping secrets. I couldn’t tell her about the rebellion, not yet... but I could find out where she stood. “Katniss... what would you think if... if there was a rebellion?” Her eyes shot up and she looked at me with a scowl in her eyes.

“What are you on about?” she asked me, an unspoken warning in her tone.

“Hypothetically speaking. I’m just curious,” I replied cautiously.

“I wouldn’t want any part of it. I don’t want to start a war, I want to keep my loved ones safe. That’s all I want. I’ve already lost my whole family once, I won’t do it again.”

“But what if you didn’t have to? What if the districts rebelled and they won?”

“They didn’t last time.”

“But what if this time... they did? And there were no more Hunger Games or the Capitol or Snow...”

“And what if they didn’t? What if they didn’t and everything is made worse?”

“Katniss-”

“I can’t afford to think like that, Peeta. I can’t risk anything happening...” She looked over at our sleeping daughters. “Not to them...”

“If there was a rebellion, and we won, they’d be safe.”

“We?” She looked back at me. “Peeta, what’s going on?” I let out a sigh.

“Nothing... it was just hypothetical.” Well, that plan backfired. I should have known she’d be unwilling to comply, always worrying that the worst could happen and never wondering if maybe, the best scenario could win. “It shouldn’t have to be this way.”

“Well, it is, and there’s nothing we can do about it.”

“Nope...” A cry from Maevis alerted us that she was awake, and Katniss got up and rushed to her daughter to tend to her. For a girl who once refused to entertain even the thought of having children, she was proving to be the most loving and fiercely protective mother of anyone I’d ever known. I smiled as I watched her tend to our daughters, Maevis having woken Lark up, and looked down at the wedding band on my own finger, reminding myself of the promise I’d made to love and protect these three beautiful girls. Something needed to be done soon, because I wasn’t going to let my girls live in fear for much longer.

* * *

**THIRD PERSON POV: SNOW**

* * *

Reaping day had arrived - a hot summer day across all of Panem. The Capitol weatherman reported the average temperature of the districts being somewhere in the high eighties, which must have been unbearable in the more southern districts. The 77th Hunger Games were finally to begin, and President Coriolanus Snow watched the recap of the reapings from his rather large gilded bed. A simple cough had prevented him from watching the reapings live, needing examination upon examination by a doctor to determine that his health was much the same - deteriorating rapidly, his life only prolonged by medicines that couldn’t be advanced quickly enough. Never the matter - it was Reaping Day, and Coriolanus Snow would set aside matters of his health for another day.

The District One reaping was first - a boy, Chrome, volunteered for a thirteen-year-old boy named Silver, and a girl named Peridot volunteered for a fourteen-year-old girl named Sunshine. They were both proud, strong and modelled after the ideal image of a Capitol citizen, as most citizens of District One were.

District Two came next - Odysseus volunteered for Jove, and Freya volunteered for Kali. Odysseus was strong, powerful and every bit the victor that the Hunger Games sought out, while Freya was stern, a warrior in her own right. The girl was fragile like a bomb, set to go off at any moment.

District Three followed - fifteen-year-old Geometra was called first, followed by her thirteen-year-old district partner, Cellyk. There was nothing remarkable about them - they’d be gone in a heartbeat. There were no volunteers.

And then District Four, which produced seventeen-year-old Cordelia and fifteen-year-old Cassius. They had broad shoulders, both of them, and the girl was beautifully bronzed with shimmering red hair. Cordelia was a contender, for certain, while Cassius seemed too cocky for his own good.

District Five gave Iness and Neuro, two young kids both of fourteen years who looked as if they had no skills, and therefore, no chances. Their deaths would be unremarkable, an unfortunate sacrifice for District Five.

District Six produced Juness and Plug, two twelve-year-olds who were unfortunate to be selected on their very first, and last, reaping. Twelve-year-olds never stood a chance, a point that the insufferably golden-tongued Peeta Mellark made sure to mention. If he thought he’d win them sponsors, he was wrong - these children’s deaths would, also, be unremarkable and therefore go unnoticed.

District Seven gave Jereka, aged seventeen, and Rowan, aged sixteen. Rowan was tall and strong, while Jereka was fierce and stiff. Maybe District Seven would add another victor to its collection - after all, they had only won three Games in the history of the Hunger Games.

District Eight produced thirteen-year-old Mystere and eighteen-year-old Hollick, and neither of them seemed to stand a chance. Hollick was skinny and missing a hand, possibly from a factory accident, while Mystere was small for her age and frail. It was unlikely that either of them would get very far.

District Nine gave a fifteen-year-old girl, Lebellum, and a fifteen-year-old boy, Quest. Both seemed unremarkable and they likely wouldn’t get very far.

District Ten’s tributes were Ostriny and Venom, two children of ranchers, likely. Ostriny was small and young, and Venom seemed like he stood at least a small chance, but his skills on a horse and with a rope likely wouldn’t help him in the arena. At least, not this one.

District Eleven gave seventeen-year-old Penance and and fourteen-year-old Rig, two tall and well-built children who may give District Eleven a fighting chance this year, but only time would tell.

District Twelve shook him up for perhaps the third time in the last sixty-seven years. Why was it always District Twelve? The coal-mining district that always starved, that always produced the smallest and skinniest of tributes, that almost never succeeded to survive past the initial bloodbath of the cornucopia. And yet, for the last three years, they had. Coriolanus Snow would have expected either Peeta Mellark or Katniss Everdeen would be the cause of yet another incessant headache, but alas, they were not - it was something that likely they wouldn’t have even predicted, nor would their foolish pet drunkard they called a mentor - not with all the censoring that had been done before any of them were even born. The distress came from the reaping itself, pulled from the glass balls by the overly-enthusiastic Effie Trinket. The boy was no problem - Lucas Steele, a fourteen-year-old boy from the poorest parts of District Twelve. Skinny and frail, unlikely to survive beyond the first day. But the girl...

Her name was Lucy Greyson.

* * *

**PEETA POV**

* * *

The train ride to the Capitol was as to be expected, quiet and not featuring much chatter. We got to know our tributes, Lucas and Lucy, who were both from the Seam and both as skinny as every Seam child who’d ever been reaped was. Lucas was very distressed, and understandably so, but Lucy was fairly neutral on the whole situation. She was older than Lucas at sixteen, and seemed to accept her fate, and she was surprisingly cheerful about it. “What’s the point in being sad? Life is short for a Seam girl, anyway,” Lucy Greyson had told me. She wasn’t wrong. Many Seam girls that Katniss and I had known growing up died young, whether it was due to starvation, disease or childbirth. It was uncommon for a Seam girl to live past the age of fifty.

We had no way of knowing that Snow was upset. Of course, I didn’t even know there was cause for upset until long after the 77th Hunger Games, so for Katniss and I, going into the Games was exactly like what it had been for the last two years we had been mentoring. We arrived at the Capitol, set down our things and got our children situated in the Hotel, put Haymitch on babysitting duty and made our way to the tribute parade to kick off the start of the Hunger Games. Lucy Greyson was a beautiful girl with olive skin and dark hair, characteristic of the Seam, while Lucas Steele was a little paler, the grandson of a Hebridean refugee. They both looked quite handsome on the chariot, with flames exploding from their clothes the same as ours had now three years before. Lucas didn’t seem very fond of the idea of being set on fire.

“Be grateful you’re not naked and covered in coal dust. They say that’s what the designers did for Haymitch’s Games,” I’d said with a wink, and that seemed to cheer the kid up a little bit.

“Now, Lucy,” Cinna was saying to the older girl. “Stand tall, stand proud - you’re proud of your district. Remember that when you’re on the chariot.”

“Come hell or high water, you’re coming home. That’s the aura you need to give off,” Katniss told Lucy with a smile, the first smile Katniss had given since we arrived in the Capitol.

“That’s what I’m hoping for, isn’t it?” Lucy asked. The tributes were loaded up onto the chariots and sent out into the public eye, all of them looking quite wonderful. Usually, there were some tacky outfits for most tributes, especially in Districts One, Five, Eight, Ten and Eleven, but this year, pretty much all of the parade costumes were phenomenal. Katniss and I stood side by side watching the television back where the tributes were preparing for the parade.

“Look at the District Two boy,” Katniss whispered to me right when our tributes were brought out. Lucy and Lucas’s faces were up on the big screen now, since it was their chariot that was being presented next, but on smaller screens, the faces of other tributes were still being displayed, and the boy from District Two - Odyssey? Odysseus? I forgot his name - was staring at the big screen, eyes wide with wonder and awe.

“Interesting,” I said, and then I glanced at my wife beside me. “We could use that, you know.”

“All right, Haymitch,” Katniss replied, teasing me and glancing at me. “Just don’t let her get hurt. Snow’s not going to let two tributes leave the arena together again, especially if they’re from two different districts.”

“Fair point,” I told her. “We’ll work something out.” And indeed we did. “The boy from Two couldn’t take his eyes off of her. I think we should make her aware of it, tell her to do something with it,” I said to Haymitch and Katniss that night in Haymitch’s room as we watched the recap of the parade.

“You wanna try to play  _ another _ love story involvin’ District Twelve?” Haymitch asked.

“This isn’t another ‘star-crossed lovers from District Twelve’ type of story, Haymitch... this is a forbidden love kind of story. The boy from District Two, the district known for being the most violent and the most determined to win the Games, in love with the girl from District Twelve, the district that almost  _ never _ has a shot at winning! Think about it. The Capitol will want to keep the two of them alive for as long as they can,” I said.

“Until, in the end, when there’s two of them left and he kills her,” Katniss replied somewhat sternly, and I let out a sigh.

“Unless she kills him first, or he loves her so much that he can’t do it,” I told her.

“The hell has gotten into you? This doesn’t sound like you, Peeta,” Katniss replied, a little surprised. It was true, it didn’t, but it was all part of the plan that Haymitch, Finnick and I had formed. Districts Three, Four, Seven and Twelve were planning on sending a message to the districts using the Games. Personally, I had no idea how powerful the message would be, as the goal was to have the careers killed off as quickly as possible and aid in the win of a seemingly weaker tribute - ‘you’re not weak, you are equally as strong. Join the rebellion and fight back against the Capitol’ was what Beta had said (the plan was his brainchild). It didn’t seem like a very broad message to me, but he was one of the leaders of the rebellion, so I didn’t want to question his decisions - yet.

“I, for one, like it. It’ll make the girl desirable,” Haymitch chimed in.

“And what about Lucas?” Katniss asked us both. Haymitch and I exchanged a glance, and I placed a hand over Katniss’s.

“We both know we have to choose one... Only one comes home. I really think that Lucy has a chance,” I said to her.

“We’ll do what we can for the boy, but he ain’t got much promise. The girl’s already striking. She’s a pretty girl, and the Capitol likes her,” said Haymitch.

“Why though? She didn’t do anything remarkable during the parade. The tributes’ outfits have been on fire for the last four parades,” Katniss replied, making a pretty valid point.

“Don’t know,” said Haymitch. “The girl’s an enigma.”

* * *

**THIRD PERSON POV: THE GHOST**

* * *

Enigmatic; the girl who disappeared in her footprints. Did she flee? Did she hide? Did she die? The fate of her spirit may never be known. She occupies the cobwebs of an old man’s heart, now black and dead and shrivelled up from the hatred that lies within. The mere mention of her name strikes fear into that cold, black dead heart.

_ Oft I had heard of Lucy Gray; _

_ And when I crossed the wild, _

_ I chanced to see at break of day _

_ The solitary child... _

_ No mate, no comrade Lucy knew; _

_ She dwelt on a wide moor, _

_ — The sweetest thing that ever grew _

_ Beside a human door! _

_ You may yet spy the fawn at play, _

_ The hare upon the green; _

_ But the sweet face of Lucy Gray _

_ Will never more be seen... _

They stopped telling the story of Lucy Gray long ago, when the phantasmagoria of songbirds and snakes plagued the holder of the cold, black dead heart. Once a face that everyone knew - a victor of the Hunger Games, like so many others beyond her years - that disappeared in the night, with only footprints left behind to indicate that she had ever lived. The stories of the girl in the rainbow dress who sang like a caged songbird were forbidden, and the girl who won the 10th Annual Hunger Games’ name was never written in the books.

‘The 10th Hunger Games, in the year 2095, were the last Games before the great changes were made to ensure that the glory of the victor be established. The name of the victor is now lost to history, but it is only known that the victor hailed from District Twelve. The victor was dead by the following year, likely due to illness, which ravaged the people of District Twelve in the early days of the Hunger Games,’ said the passage in the books. What a load of false crap that was.

_ ‘To-night will be a stormy night— _

_ You to the town must go; _

_ And take a lantern, Child, to light _

_ Your mother through the snow.’ _

_ ‘That, Father! will I gladly do: _

_ ‘Tis scarcely afternoon— _

_ The minster-clock has just struck two, _

_ And yonder is the moon!’ _

_ At this the father raised his hook, _

_ And snapped a faggot-band; _

_ He plied his work; — and Lucy took _

_ The lantern in her hand... _

She had a voice that stopped even the birds from chattering, and a golden tongue that turned every head. She wore a dress of rainbow - she came in colours everywhere, turning a world of grey to one of many colours. She was the key to the lock of the black dead heart, long before it fell ill. She painted his black and white world with the colours of her spirit, made of a fire that could never be quelled. She was a bird, once free, but then caged - she was the Sun, and he was Icarus, and he flew too close.

_ Not blither is the mountain roe: _

_ With many a wanton stroke _

_ Her feet disperse the powdery Snow, _

_ That rises up like smoke. _

_ The storm came on before it’s time: _

_ She wandered up and down; _

_ And many a hill did Lucy climb: _

_ But never reached the town. _

_ The wretched parents all that night _

_ Went shouting far and wide; _

_ But there was neither sound nor sight _

_ To serve them for a guide... _

_ At day-break on a hill they stood _

_ That overlooked the moor; _

_ And thence they saw the bridge of wood, _

_ A furlong from their door. _

_ They wept — and, turning homeward, cried, _

_ ‘In heaven we all shall meet;’ _

_ — when in the snow the mother spied _

_ The print of Lucy’s feet _ ...

She was the girl who struck fear into a heart that dared not to love. That cold, black dead heart feared the damage that love can do, for it is love that undoes even the strongest of men. He’d heard all the stories of lovers who took their own lives because living without their love seemed too unbearable - Pyramus and Thisbe, Hero and Leander, Orpheus and Eurydice - and vowed to never let love capture his heart. And yet, love still managed to creep its way into that long-neglected heart. But love was a dangerous game to play, and soon, he learned that lesson harshly.

_ Then downwards from the steep hill’s edge _

_ They tracked the footprints small; _

_ And through the broken hawthorn hedge, _

_ And by the large stone-wall; _

_ And then an open field they crossed: _

_ The marks were still the same; _

_ They tracked them on, nor ever lost; _

_ And to the bridge they came. _

_ They followed from the snowy bank _

_ Those footmarks, one by one, _

_ Into the middle of the plank; _

_ And further there were none! _

Love was like a fire that could not be satisfied, feeding and feeding until it became too large for its nest, casting out fingers to grasp whatever it could reach and burn it to ash. Love had the power to destroy and to weaken - to drive a man to madness, to drive a man to kill. Love could take any given individual and change the very nature of that man, and he may never know himself again. So he did the only thing he knew he could do - he ripped out his heart, so it could never own him.

_ — Yet some maintain that to this day _

_ She is a living child; _

_ That you may see sweet Lucy Gray _

_ Upon the lonesome wild. _

_ O’er rough and smooth she trips along, _

_ And never looks behind; _

_ And sings a solitary song _

_ That whistles in the wind... _

No one knows what truly happened to Lucy Gray Baird, victor of the 10th Hunger Games, and ill-fated lover of Coriolanus Snow. Some say she ran, others say she died - she disappeared where she stood, vanishing into thin air, haunting the empty cavity where the heart of Coriolanus Snow once lived, singing the haunting song, calling out to her lover.

_ Are you, are you coming to the tree? _

_ Where a dead man called out for his love to flee? _

_ Strange things did happen here, _

_ No stranger would it be _

_ If we met at midnight in the hanging tree... _

She was a ghost - an enigma, a phantasmagoria of the horrors of love. He should have known... He should have known she could never, truly, die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What will the mere thought of Lucy Gray and the rumours of rebellion do to Snow, and what will he do to take back control?
> 
> Please review!


	19. The Witchwood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peeta and Haymitch form a strategy for Lucy in the Games. Snow threatens Peeta and Katniss again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Features a line from the song ‘Witchwood’ by the Strawbs.

* * *

**PEETA POV**

* * *

The Games were a few days away and the tributes had been training for the last couple of days. Haymitch and I were dining with them one night while Katniss had dinner with the girls, Annie Cresta, Mags Flanagan and Glitter Pash to discuss strategies for the arena. “What’re you two kids good at again?” Haymitch asked the two of them.

“Nothing,” said Lucas hopelessly.

“Well, that much is obvious, but you done anythin’ useful in training?” Haymitch asked him.

“I’ve been trying out the plants,” said Lucy, spooning some soup into her mouth. “And some of the weapons.”

“You good at any of them?” I asked her.

“I’m not bad with a knife, I suppose,” she replied.

“Well, you’re small, so that ain’t gonna help ya in case ya meet with one of the Careers,” said Haymitch. She shrugged.

“The Careers seem to like me. Or at least, Odysseus does,” she replied nonchalantly.

“Does he?” I asked, although I already knew the answer to this. “That’s surprising for a Career. What makes you think that?”

“On the first day of training, he was doing the same stations I was, and when I saw him doing it again on the second day, I confronted him and he said he ‘admired’ me,” Lucy told me.

“Hmm,” said Haymitch, exchanging a knowing glance with me. “We can work with that.”

“Work with that?” asked Lucy.

“Develop a strategy for gettin’ you home. The love story that this idiot was involved in?” said Haymitch, referring to me. “Highest viewin’s in history. The Capitol will eat up another star-crossed lovers story.”

“But we’re not ‘the star-crossed lovers of District Twelve’. The Capitol won’t buy that,” Lucy replied, setting her spoon down.

“You’re right, you ain’t. You’re the star-crossed lovers of the districts,” Haymitch replied.

“Wait, what about  _ me _ ? Don’t I matter at all?” Lucas chimed in, now angry. It was obvious to him that Haymitch and I had chosen to save Lucy over him, and for obvious reasons, that infuriated him.

“Of course you matter, Lucas. We’re going to try everything we can to get you out of the arena, too. We just... need to think of a different strategy,” I told him.

“Sure you will. Only one gets out, and it’s going to be her and not me, isn’t it?” said Lucas, and he shoved back his chair and stood. “I’m going to bed, since it’s obvious that I’ve already lost the Games.” He then stormed off, and Lucy, Haymitch and I sat there in an awkward silence.

“He really is a nice boy,” Lucy said after a moment.

“Doesn’t matter. There’s been lots of nice boys and girls that have gone into the arena,” Haymitch told her. “Only one comes out.”

“You see, Lucy... one of the hardest parts about being a mentor is knowing that you can try everything you can to bring home at least one of your tributes, but in the end, there’s only one victor,” I explained to her.

“Unless it’s you and Katniss,” Lucy replied, picking up her spoon again.

“We’re a rare exception. We got very lucky that the gamemakers had any mercy on us. If they’d wanted to, they could have sent more mutts on us or caused some kind of natural disaster like they did last year for the two tributes in the cornucopia... or they could have waited for me to bleed out and die. I’d been bitten by a mutt on the leg, and would have lost it, too, if it weren’t for Katniss’s medical expertise,” I told her. “Unfortunately, that isn’t going to happen again. The purpose of the Games is that there’s only one victor, and, well... Haymitch and I want that one victor to be you.”

“It must be hard to look at two children, so full of hope and looking to you to get them back home, and know that you can maybe - just maybe - bring one of them home,” said Lucy.

“Been doin’ it for twenty-six years, sweetheart. I’ve only succeeded once,” Haymitch told her, pouring liquor from his flask and into his cup of coffee. “It ain’t easy. It ain’t never been easy.”

“It... takes a lot out of you, yes,” I replied. “If I could save every tribute I’ve had to mentor - if Haymitch could save every tribute  _ he’s _ had to mentor - hell, if  _ his _ mentor could save every tribute-”

“I didn’t have a mentor, only my escort. The only other District Twelve victor before me died a long time ago,” Haymitch interrupted me.

“All right, if the escorts for District Twelve were anything like Effie, then if they could-”

“They were never anythin’ like Frills.”

“Haymitch, I am trying to make a point here,” I told him, somewhat frustrated he kept interrupting me, and he raised his hands in surrender. “ _ Anyway, _ my point is... if any of us could have brought home both tributes, then we would have. Every mentor of every district has the same desire, to bring their kids home. But they just can’t. It’s not how the Games work... Yes, I know that Katniss and I are  _ extremely _ fortunate and as a result, we are  _ eternally _ grateful to the gamemakers of our Games and to President Snow for allowing us both to live, but it wasn’t supposed to be like that. There were... punishments... for that...”

“Oh,” said Lucy, setting her spoon down again. “I understand, I guess... Still, I can see why Haymitch drinks all of the time. It’s amazing that you’re so well put together, Peeta.”

“I have my family to keep me together,” I told her. “Now, down to business. It’s evident that Odysseus likes you. I could even see that in the parade recap, he couldn’t take his eyes off of you. I think you should use that to your advantage.”

“I don’t think playing with someone’s heart in a death match is a very good idea,” Lucy told me, cocking one eyebrow. “If he finds out it’s fake, he’ll just kill me.”

“What’s it matter? He’ll be dead anyway. Love’s a weakness in some, ain’t it, boy?” Haymitch said, elbowing me in the arm.

“Wouldn’t know anything about that, Haymitch,” I told him, then I looked back at Lucy. “In the end, Haymitch and I won’t be in the arena with you, so what we tell you to do doesn’t matter. It’s your choice whether or not to listen to our advice. We watch you carefully when you’re in the arena and we work with what you give us to try and get you sponsors, but in the end, it all comes down to you. The only thing we can do is send you supplies and advise you before you go into the arena.” She nodded, and a moment of silence passed between us. “Give it some thought, all right? If you have any questions before you head off to bed tonight, Haymitch is gonna stay here for the next hour or so, but I’ve got two daughters under the age of three and I need to get back to help Katniss put them to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I excused myself from dinner and made my way back to the Hotel, which was just down the street from the Tribute Tower. I could have taken one of the black cars that was waiting outside, but I chose to walk instead.

The Capitol was a big, tall, bustling urban environment that could only be described as a concrete jungle. Instead of trees, there were buildings everywhere, and they were shiny and ostentatiously coloured outrageous and unnatural shades of pinks, oranges, blues, yellows, greens and violets. The Capitol was like a scene of a psychedelic nightmare, and kind of looked like a page in Lark’s colouring book - it was like a child was given the brightest, most vibrant colours of paint and a giant canvas to play with. At night, however, it was more muted, but the garish colours still stuck out under the lights of street lamps.

As I walked, I mused on Lucy’s and Haymitch’s words. Lucy made a valid point about not wanting to fake love in the arena, but isn’t that what Katniss and I did? Well, she did. Kind of. She told me once that her kisses may have been for the cameras, but her words and their meanings were not - those were meant for me. I knew Katniss loved me, even though she fell in love with me after we had already kissed and expressed words of love and even made love the night before the Games even began. It was a weird backwards way of forming a relationship, but what Katniss and I had was strong, and there was nothing in the world that could destroy us and our love for one another.

Haymitch, on the other hand, called love a weakness. In my opinion, love was my greatest strength, as my love for Katniss and our daughters was what kept them, and the rest of our families, safe. My love for them forced me to make decisions that, if I had my own free will, I would never have done, but I loved my family more than anything in the world and I couldn’t risk anything happening to them. The things I’ve done for my family... they would break people, but thankfully, I was strong. I’d had years of loving Katniss from afar to help me build up my emotional strength and as a result, I could handle anything thrown at me, whether it was Snow forcing me to impregnate Katniss again or being forced to pleasure people of the Capitol in secret to protect my family. I hadn’t been forced to do it again, as Snow did not want to disrupt the image of our love for one another, but the memories were still fresh. Of Serous Magnificent’s stupid purple hands on my flesh, touching me in ways that only Katniss should.. Of the other buyers undressing me and taking me into their hands. I would never forget the feeling of being invaded, but thank  _ God _ for the fact that Katniss will never know that feeling, thanks to the sacrifices that I had made. No, love was  _ not _ my weakness... it only made me stronger.

When I returned to mine and Katniss’s room in the hotel, she and the girls hadn’t come back from dinner yet, so I simply sat on the bed and turned on the television to watch recaps of interviews and try to see what the Capitol thought about our tributes. It was true that they were intrigued by Lucy Greyson, and they mentioned rumours about her seeming to develop an alliance with Odysseus. Now, I didn’t know if  _ that _ was true - Lucy seemed like she wanted to handle this all on her own - but the fact that the Capitol was talking about her and Odysseus was a positive for us. Maybe about ten minutes after I arrived in the room, the door opened and Katniss entered carrying a sleeping Maevis and behind her was Glitter Pash, who held a sleepy Lark on her hip.

“Thank you again for helping me get them back,” she’d told Glitter, unaware of my presence yet, so I got up and met her at the door.

“Oh, it’s no problem, Katniss,” Glitter had said as I approached the door.

“I can take over from here,” I said, surprising both of them.

“Peeta! I didn’t know you were back yet,” she told me, kissing my cheek and passing Maevis to me.

“Just got back a few minutes ago,” I told her.

“I’d best get going, it’s my turn to send the tributes off to training tomorrow. Dinner was fun and we should do it again sometime! I’ll see you soon, Katniss,” Glitter said to the pair of us, handing Lark to Katniss, and we both wished her goodnight and closed the door to our room.

“So, how was dinner?” I asked my wife as she carried Lark to the attached second room, where Lark and Maevis slept; she groaned in response.

“Women bore me so much,” she said. “It’s no wonder I hardly have any female friends.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t  _ that _ bad,” I told her.

“They were talking about the latest in Capitol fashion almost the whole time. Well, Annie and Glitter were, and then we were joined by Delectra Altra and Cashmere and Gloss Horne, and all  _ they _ could talk about was Capitol this and glitter and glam that and going on and on about some new tradition they heard a rumour about that Snow wanted to start which has something to do with a party and the victors and tributes as guests,” she replied, changing Lark into her pyjamas and settling her into bed. We continued our conversation after we got the girls settled and kissed them goodnight.

“A party with the victors and tributes, hm? Where’d they hear that from?” I asked her as we started to change out of our clothes.

“Cashmere said she heard it from some Capitol official she met with,” Katniss told me. “Can we shower? I feel all... gross and sticky.” I chuckled gently to myself, finding amusement in her still trying to find excuses to shower with me even though we’d been married for almost three years now.

“You know you don’t even have to ask to get me into a shower with you,” I told her, allowing her to drag me into the bathroom with her. We stripped down and got into the shower together, Katniss starting by lathering up her hair.

“How was dinner with the tributes?” she asked me.

“Not bad,” I answered. “Lucy says that the boy from Two seems interested in her, so see? I didn’t make that up. It could work, if we try to sell that story. We might be able to bring her home.”

“I still don’t feel right about exploiting their hearts...”

“Why’s that?”

“Too close to home.” She rinsed the shampoo out of her hair and then picked up a soapy loofah, which I snatched from her hand. “Peeta-”

“Allow me.” Pulling her from the water and pressing my front against her back, I started to rub her - somewhat erotically - with the loofah, making sure to tease her perky nipples with the roughness of the loofah.

“Peeta,” she groaned, reaching behind her with her hand to cup my face.

“You like that?” I asked her. “I can... do it again...” I teased her nipple again with the loofah, and she shuddered. “I can do this one, too...” I teased her other nipple with it, causing her to tense up and grab at my hair. “Or... I can do  _ this _ ...” I moved the loofah down to her pelvic region just above the area that I knew was craving my touch, and she squeezed her thighs together in response.

“Your hands... are so much... better...” she muttered breathlessly.

“Well, then make room,” I whispered into her ear, dropping the loofah and parting her legs with my hand. My hand slid around her thigh to rest in between them, and then I ran a finger along her folds, resulting in a noisy moan coming from her throat.

“Oh, Peeta,” she moaned with delight, and I smiled against her neck as the pad of my thumb found her sensitive little nub, causing her to writhe in my arms. “ _ Peeta... _ Oh, God, Peeta...”

“Does that feel good, baby?” I whispered into her ear, and she nodded fiercely.

“Yes... More, Peeta,  _ more _ ,” she told me, her eyes shut tight and her face scrunched up with pleasure. God, it made me hard as a rock when I could take one finger and melt this woman into a puddle in my arms. Shifting my hand, I slid two fingers into her entrance, my palm taking over for my thumb on her little nub, and my other hand found its way to her breast to tease her nipple. She came apart in my hand, nearly collapsing as she reached her climax and came into my hand, and I chuckled as I caught her before she fell.

“Damn, that good, huh?” I asked her, and she playfully smacked my thigh as she tried to catch her breath.

“We should do this more often... There’s something... erotic... about ravaging each other in the shower,” she replied breathlessly, then she freed herself from my arms and got down on her knees, her hands sliding up my thighs and her silver eyes, with a mischevious glint, met mine. “My turn...”

* * *

**KATNISS POV**

* * *

In the early hours of the following morning, I stirred from my sleep, opening my eyes and letting them adjust to the dawn that broke through the small slit in the curtains that blocked out the light. My chest felt heavy - that's because there was a head lying on it. My Peeta slept peacefully on my bare chest, his arms holding me tightly, never daring to let me go. The light from the morning sun created almost a halo around his honey golden curls and made him look like a slice of my own personal heaven. I smiled down at him, peaceful in a dreamless sleep, and softly brushed a curl from his eyes; he stirred slightly, and as he shifted, his brilliant blue eyes fluttered opened and as they landed on mine, he smiled sleepily, then closed his eyes again and settled into my chest. “Good morning, beautiful,” he muttered sleepily, pressing a kiss to my sternum.

“Good morning to you, too,” I said, running a hand through his curls. When I was with him, in a moment as intimate as this, it was easy to forget that we were in the hell that was the Capitol, fighting to save the lives of two children who were the sacrificial lambs to atone for the sins of people who were long dead. “We have to send them off to training again today...”

“Yeah...” Peeta sighed, relaxing against my chest to listen to my heartbeat. “We’ve still got some time, though. We could always...” I felt him drag one of his hands down my side and pause at my hip, and I chuckled gently.

“I would love to... but we should start getting ready. The girls take longer to get ready than we do,” I told him, disappointed in my own response. As if on cue, I began to hear a cry coming from behind the door to the adjoining room, where Lark and Maevis were supposed to be sleeping. “Duty calls...”

“I’ll get her,” Peeta said, pushing himself up and pressing a kiss to my lips. “You start getting dressed.” I nodded and kissed him one more time before he slid off of the bed, pulled on a pair of trousers and went to tend to our daughters. He was such a doting father, and it only made me regret not seizing the brief moment we had to ourselves. Not too long later, as we were about to leave, a knock at the door disrupted us, and I answered it while Peeta finished cleaning up Lark’s face from her morning meal, almost surprised to see the peacekeeper at the door.

“President Snow requires your presence, Mrs. Mellark. And your husband, too,” he said. “Care will be provided for your children.” Thank God Snow didn’t want us to bring our children.

“Very well,” I replied. “We’ll be down shortly.” The peacekeeper nodded and left, and I turned to Peeta as I shut the door, my eyes wide with worry. “Snow wants to see us...”

“I heard,” Peeta replied neutrally. The both of us always tensed up when Snow was near, mostly because it meant that he would be exploiting us again by holding the bargain I had made with him when I was still pregnant with Lark over our heads like a whip.

“We... we’d best not... keep him waiting,” I told him. When the Avox arrived to watch our children, Peeta and I made our way down to the lobby and into a black unmarked car. We didn’t like leaving our children alone with anyone other than Haymitch or Effie when we were in the Capitol, but if we weren’t going to send our tributes off to training, then both Effie and Haymitch needed to be there. We arrived at the Presidents’ Mansion and were brought to Snow’s office, finding ourselves very much alone. Peeta and I exchanged a glance, then sat down in the chairs opposite of Snow’s at his desk, holding each other’s hands tightly. “What have we done now?” I whispered to Peeta.

“I don’t know... We’ve done everything we’ve been asked to do. Maybe we’re not being punished?” Peeta suggested. We both knew that, somehow, we were being punished for something, but I couldn’t possibly guess what. Perhaps it had something to do with Snow being suspicious about Peeta being with Haymitch all the time, or maybe he didn’t like Peeta and Haymitch spending so much time with Finnick Odair, Beetee Latier and Johanna Mason. Our thoughts were interrupted by the door opening and Snow entering the room, and Peeta and I both stood as he made his way to his desk.

“Mr. and Mrs. Mellark, what a delightful surprise,” said Snow, mocking the two of us.

“You wanted to see us, sir?” Peeta asked him, skillfully knocking aside Snow’s barb. Snow sneered at him, then motioned for us to sit, which we did, and he didn’t say a word at first. We sat in an uncomfortable silence, and I was the first to break it.

“President Snow... we do need to... return to our tributes soon. Every second they can get will help them-” I began, but Snow raised a hand to cut me off.

“My dear Mrs. Mellark, you and I both know that your tributes will likely not survive. The tributes from Districts One and Two are quite strong this year, I’m afraid, and your tributes are... not,” he said, his eyes falling on Peeta, who stared back firmly. “I’m sure you are wondering why you’ve been called here. There has been some... rumours... that involve District Twelve potentially starting an... uprising.” My eyes widened.

“Absolutely not,” I said, my voice starting to shake. “President Snow, District Twelve could  _ never _ -”

“Mrs. Mellark, do calm down. I assure you that I know  _ you _ are not the cause of it,” Snow replied, interrupting me again, and then he looked again at Peeta. “Mr. Mellark, you have a lot of... friends... among the other victors and, I hear, at home as well. Have you heard any such rumours?”

“Not a single one. But I don’t really talk to any of my friends from school anymore. I don’t have the time,” Peeta replied, his voice steady and firm. Snow nodded, then eyed the both of us.

“There has been some discontent here in the Capitol since Mr. Mellark commented on the fate of younger tributes,” he said.

“President Snow, he meant no harm. He just wanted the younger tributes to have an equal chance,” I said, gripping Peeta’s wrist tightly with both hands.

“Younger tributes are generally not violent and therefore, pose no chance for entertainment. They are simply an unfortunate sacrifice, and a harsh lesson, for their districts. Mr. Mellark’s remark has certainly caused a stirrup among the people of the Capitol. I need you both to be a... distraction... again for them. Do you know what that means?” Snow asked us, glancing between the two of us; neither of us answered. “You need to have another child.” My stomach clenched, and I gripped Peeta’s wrist so tightly, his hand likely went numb.

“But... you said we had a year and a half...” I muttered quietly.

“Circumstances have changed. You will conceive a child while you are here in the Capitol, and to refer back to our prior conversation, Mrs. Mellark, there will be extra steps taken to ensure that this child is male. Once again, the Capitol will choose the name, and you will select it from the list. Do keep in touch with Ms. Trinket, who will ensure that you choose a name more suitable to the Capitol’s liking,” said Snow. So we were being punished, this time for selecting Maevis’s name, and we were still being punished for Peeta’s interview last summer after Vick died in the arena. Snow then leaned forward onto his elbows, the scent of roses and blood permeating our faces. “And there will be patrons who wish to witness the conception of your next child. When the Games begin, you will both be brought to the hospital to receive fertility treatments, and you will remain in the Capitol for as long as it takes you to conceive. You will be checked daily, Mrs. Mellark, to see if you have conceived, and like young Miss Maevis, this child will be born in the Capitol. Am I clear?”

“Crystal,” Peeta replied, his face pink with fury and his eyes raging with fire, but he never let that anger come out in his voice. Snow smirked, then sat back in his chair.

“Excellent,” he said. “The night before the Games begin, there will be a celebration in which the victors and the tributes will attend, as well as prominent high-paying Capitol citizens. Do spread the word. Oh, and next year will be the first centennial since the birth of Panem.” I didn’t like that he mentioned that, especially not when he was looking at Peeta the way he was. Snow was planning something, and it wasn’t going to end well for us.

The ride back to the Hotel was quiet between Peeta and I. I was furious he’d given that interview now, even though I completely agreed with it. That interview was getting us punished again and again and there was nothing I could do about it. I hadn’t even had anything to do with it! “Katniss,” Peeta said when we were finally in our room.

“Why did you have to do it?” I snapped at him. “Why couldn’t you have just kept quiet and kept your opinions to yourself?”

“Katniss, I know this is my fault. I’m sorry-”

“No, I don’t want to hear it! It’s too late now for that to do anything!” I turned my back to him. “We have to have another... They’re going to watch us... together...” I fought hard to prevent the tear from slipping from my eye, but nothing I could do could stop it.

“I... I’m so sorry, Katniss... I didn’t know... I thought if I could say something that maybe... maybe kids like Vick, or Rue, could stand a chance for once...” At the mention of Rue, the dam behind my tear ducts broke and I began to sob, and Peeta pulled me into his arms and held me tightly. “Shhh... It’s going to be okay... We’ll get through this...”

“When is it going to end?” I asked him.

“When our children are old enough to age out of the reaping, I suppose,” Peeta replied. “But at the rate we have to have children...”

“We’ll never be free,” I finished for him. He was silent for a moment.

“No...”

Three years ago, everything was perfect. Prim hadn’t been reaped, I was a huntress who vowed never to marry or fall in love or have children because I feared what it could do to me. The girl I was three years ago would hate the girl I was today - weak, spineless, afraid of her own shadow. Snow’s bidden slave, until a casket from the witchwood he’s created from me bears my body to the grave. It seemed that the strong love that I held for Peeta, which I claimed now I could not live without, had made me weak.

I believe it was then, in that moment, that the embers that had gone cold long ago began to feel the warmth of the flame yet again. It was small, but it was there, but it would be many months before I would feel the heat of rebellion ignite me once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Katniss was fearful of stepping out of line under Snow’s watchful eye, but will this be the final straw?
> 
> Please review!


	20. Prismatic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tributes for the 77th Hunger Games are interviewed, and the tributes and mentors attend a party for Snow. Katniss and Peeta endure more torture at the hands of Snow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ‘Down In The Willow Garden’ — The Everly Brothers

* * *

**KATNISS POV**

* * *

It was the night of the interviews now, and Lucy and Odysseus were already a hot topic. Evidently, District Two mentors were the ones that had started talking to the Capitol about Odysseus’s noticing of Lucy and, well, now everyone knew, and it was likely going to be brought up for both of their interviews tonight by Caesar. Peeta was helping Lucas with his interview, although we both knew that Lucas really didn’t have much going for him - truth to be told, most District Twelve tributes really didn’t. I, on the other hand, was waiting for Cinna to finish up with Lucy’s dress for the interviews. The interviews would start earlier than usual tonight - at six in the evening, so the tributes and the mentors could attend the Presidents’ Celebratory Hunger Games Party at eight, although the tributes would be wearing the clothes they wore to their interviews.

“Whoa,” I said when I saw the dress that Cinna had created for Lucy. “That is... beautiful...” At the very top of the dress, it was white, with an off-the-shoulder collar that sort of draped down, almost like drapes, but the white then faded into a beautiful pale yellow, and then a golden yellow, and then a bright sunset orange, and then a rich shade of red, and then a brilliant magenta, and then a vivacious violet, a royal blue and a very stunning earthy green. The beautiful kaleidoscope of a dress swooped across the floor as she walked, and her rich dark Seam hair was curled in a half up, half down hairstyle. She looked like a prism with a bright ray of sun shining through her crystal form, splitting into all the beautiful colours of the rainbow. “Cinna, you have outdone yourself! What led to this beautiful creation?”

“Something in the back of my mind said this dress just had to be made, and it fits the beautiful Lucy Greyson very well,” Cinna told me.

“Well, it most certainly is very beautiful... Lucy, how do you feel?” I asked Lucy.

“Like home,” she replied. “My grandmother had a dress like this one, only it was tattered and old, and not quite as nice as this. I suppose the only thing it had in common with this dress is the fact that it was rainbow. She said she got it from a relative who died.”

“Well, it most certainly looks stunning on you. You’re going to absolutely blow away the audience tonight,” I told her. When the tributes were lining up, I made my way to the mentors’ lounge, where we would all go to watch the interviews of our tributes. Peeta was there, and he smiled sadly at me - he’d gotten his fertility treatment at the Capitol hospital earlier, so this was the first I’d seen of him since earlier that morning.

“Hey,” he said when I approached him, bending down to give my cheek a kiss. “I got a glimpse of Lucy’s dress. It’s absolutely stunning, all those colours. What made Cinna do that?”

“I don’t know, he said he just sort of... felt the urge to make that dress for Lucy,” I told him, hooking my hand into the crook of his arm. “How was... you know...”

“Unpleasant, to say the least,” he replied quietly, then lowered his voice even more. “They poked and prodded me and inserted needles in places that probably shouldn’t have needles in them. But... everything’s all good. They said my count is very high and there should be significantly more male than female sperm.”

“Well isn’t that just wonderful,” I scoffed. My fertility treatment had been the day before and it had been absolutely awful. I had all sorts of instruments in me that were checking my womb and my Fallopian tubes and making sure everything was functioning perfectly. They were able to progress my egg to be fully prepared to receive sperm and there should be no problem with fertilisation - the thought made me sick. They performed some sort of quick surgery, too, something about lesions on parts of my reproductive organs that may affect fertility, but the medicines they gave me allowed me to recover quickly. Originally, we were supposed to get the treatments done during the Games, but it seemed like Snow wanted to keep us distracted from our tributes.

“Tonight’s the night, isn’t it?” Peeta asked me, breaking my train of thought.

“They’re bringing us to some special place for this, in Snow’s mansion,” I told him. “Effie told me this morning when my prep team was prepping me.” Peeta let out a sigh, conveying his thoughts through his eyes. I could see them very clearly - _I don’t want to do this_ . Through my own eyes, I told him, _Neither do I, but we have to. For them._ He glanced away, then shifted one hand to rest over mine and gave it a firm squeeze, conveying that no matter how distressed we were, we were still in all of this together.

“Interviews are starting,” he told me. Sure enough, up on the screen, Caesar appeared with his hair and lips bright orange this year - _unnaturally_ orange. The interview started with the District One girl, Peridot, who giggled her way into the hearts of the Capitol citizens in a way that reminded me a lot of Glimmer during our Games - I found out why very quickly.

“My sister was Glimmer, she competed in the 74th Hunger Games,” Peridot told Caesar, who gasped; he knew that I had been the one responsible for Glimmer’s death, and likely, so did Peridot. It certainly wasn’t uncommon for siblings from the Career districts to volunteer and compete, especially as another chance for the family to get glory if their older sibling had failed. After Peridot came the District One boy, Chrome, who honestly was kind of dumb-looking and didn’t seem to understand a lot of serious questions put to him. After Chrome was Freya from District Two, and she was a fierce-looking girl of eighteen who was certainly all business and no games. She appeared to have the strength and the ambition to be a winner of the Games, which made me fear for Lucy and Lucas. And then came Odysseus’s interview, which everyone had been waiting for.

“So, Odysseus... are you ready to win the Hunger Games?” Caesar asked the boy, who had wild fair hair and a broad frame.

“If the odds are in my favour, Caesar, then yes, I certainly am,” Odysseus replied casually, although clearly uncomfortably. I tried to read his eyes - they were not in the Games, not like Freya’s.

“Now, of course I have to ask the question that has been driving us all _mad_ here in the Capitol. What is with you and the girl from District Twelve?” Caesar asked him.

“Lucy?” Odysseus asked, although of course, he knew who Caesar was talking about. “We just got to talking, that’s all. She’s very good with a knife and she’s a great singer. My mom used to sing, too, before she died.”

“Oh, that’s a real shame,” said Caesar with sympathy. “Well, she’s a very pretty girl, isn’t she? It’s a real shame, your circumstances.”

“We’re just talking. Of course there’s nothing between us. We’re no ‘star-crossed lovers’,” Odysseus replied a bit more firmly.

“Will you ally with her in the arena?” Caesar asked.

“Oh, come on, Caesar, I don’t want to spoil anything for the Games! But I’m from District Two, you know who our allies usually are,” Odysseus replied with charm. He’d managed to dodge questions about Lucy pretty well, but perhaps something could still be done for them in the arena. After Odysseus was finished, the two District Three tributes, Geometra and Cellyk, who were... interesting... to say the least, had their interviews. Cellyk explained how he would try to find a way to harness energy from electricity like his mentor, Beetee, did in his Games - rookie mistake. Cellyk was likely going to be targeted quickly now that he’d revealed his plan to shock other tributes to death.

After District Three came the District Four tributes, Cordelia and Cassius, both of whom confirmed that they were strong swimmers and weren’t concerned at all if the arena had water. They scared me a little, and I still didn’t really trust Finnick Odair much either. After Four came Five, and their tributes, Iness and Neuro, were both very young and very naive, and unlikely to survive the arena. District Six’s tributes, Juness and Plug, were children and they were both childishly goofy, which made the Capitol and Caesar laugh, but unfortunately, that wouldn’t win them any sponsors. District Seven’s tributes, Jereka and Rowan, posed another threat to my tributes. Both were strong, children of lumberjacks, and could climb like monkeys and swing an axe like a miner does a pick. District Eight’s tributes, Mystere and Hollick, didn’t worry me, but Lucy had mentioned that Mystere was quite sweet and reminded Lucy a lot of her little sister, so they may ally like Rue and I had. District Nine’s tributes, Lebellum and Quest, were uninteresting to everyone, both of them sitting onstage with blank expressions on their faces and giving Caesar one or two-word answers. District Ten’s tributes, Ostriny and Venom, didn’t concern me, although Venom seemed like he could really pack a punch if he wanted to. District Eleven’s tributes, Penance and Rig, were strong, tall and broad-shouldered from years of harvesting produce, and if they wouldn’t ally with Lucy, I certainly had a reason to be concerned about them in the arena.

And then came Lucy’s interview. As she walked out onstage, there were many oohs and ahs from the audience at her beautiful rainbow dress, and even Caesar was struck speechless by her appearance. “My, my, Miss Lucy Greyson, you are _stunning_! Hats off to your stylist, Lucy, dear! You look incredible!”

“Thank you, Caesar,” she said with a charming smile, taking his offered hand, which he kissed, and then the two of them sat down.

“So, Lucy, what is your favourite hobby?” Caesar asked her, holding off on the questions about Odysseus for later.

“I like to sing. My family sings a lot,” Lucy replied.

“Oh, really? Would you mind singing us a little song now?” Caesar asked her, and she smiled.

“Sure, Caesar, I’d love to. This one was one of my grandmother’s favourites and it’s called ‘Down In The Willow Garden’,” Lucy replied, and she stood and cleared her throat.

_‘Down in the willow garden,_

_Where me and my love did meet._

_As we sat a-courtin’,_

_My love fell off to sleep._

_I had a bottle of Burgundy wine,_

_My love she did not know._

_So I poisoned that dear little girl_

_On the banks below.’_

She finished her song and she smiled, and the Capitol cheered for her beautiful singing voice, which was quite exceptional.

“By God, she’s got it all!” Caesar exclaimed as Lucy sat back down. “Now, I have to ask, because we are _all_ very curious here... What’s going on between you and Odysseus?”

“Talking, as he said,” Lucy replied. “We won’t talk in the arena, if that’s what you’re thinking. He’ll ally with the other Careers and hunt me down along with every other tribute until one of them wins. Quite predictable, don’t you think?” That girl was so lucky she was going into the arena because a statement like that was what had gotten Peeta and I into the mess we were in with fertility treatments and having to have sex in front of Capitol patrons.

“Oh... Well, yes, I suppose that is...” Caesar said, unsure of what to say. “But does the boy make those pretty cheeks flush pink and put butterflies in your tummy?”

“What would be the point in answering that?” Lucy asked him. “Either way, one of us will die. The friendship we formed in training was very nice while it lasted, but tomorrow, that friendship will end.” Damn, that girl packed a lot of venom. Thankfully for Caesar, who seemed a little panicked, the timer went off and Lucy’s interview time was over.

“Well, all that was just wonderful! Ladies and gentlemen, the beautiful Lucy Greyson!” Caesar exclaimed, standing and holding Lucy’s hand over his head. With one final interview, Lucas’s (which, I’m ashamed to admit, we hardly paid attention to), people we’re getting antsy and eager to get to the party after the interviews. We had about an hour to prepare, so when Lucas’s interview was finished and we congratulated our tributes on their performances, Peeta and I made our way back to our room, where we were greeted by our prep team. Mags, who wasn’t interested in the party, agreed to babysit Lark and Maevis for us while Peeta and I went to the party, which for us, was required. I was dressed in a floor-length midnight blue off-the-shoulder dress with a draped sleeve that flowed about six inches down my shoulder and a slit in the dress up to my thigh, and Peeta was dressed in a beautiful silvery suit with a midnight blue tie and waistcoat to match.

“You look nice,” I told him, linking my arm with his as we made our way down to the lobby.

“You look very beautiful,” he told me, giving me a smile. I couldn’t resist stopping him in the elevator and pulling him closer to me, beckoning his lips in for a deep and passionate kiss.

“I wanted to steal that before tonight...” I told him, not wanting to think about the fact that we were going to have to perform for Capitol patrons tonight.

“I’m glad you did,” Peeta replied cheekily, kissing me again before the elevator stopped on the ground floor to let us out. We were led to a long black car, which brought us, Haymitch, Cashmere and Gloss Horne and Glitter Pash to the Presidents’ Mansion, and it was evident that the Hornes weren’t overly thrilled to be sharing a car with us, but Glitter didn’t mind. Her dress was very pretty, too - rose gold with a sleeveless jeweled bodice and a fluffy, but not ridiculously wide, tulle skirt.

“You both look incredible tonight, and your tribute looked so beautiful. I wish I had your stylist!” Glitter told us as we exited the car together.

“But your dress is so beautiful,” I told her in response, clinging to Peeta’s arm.

“But very expected for District One, isn’t it? Peridot’s is salmon pink and sparkling more than the champagne. Your clothes are always stunning and unexpected,” Glitter told me. She found company in Prodigy Prelius and left Peeta and I to sample the food, which we did, refusing to take one look at the drinks that made you vomit. We danced a little, first together and then with some other victors, before we were greeted by President Snow himself, who, instead of hovering over us watchfully in his balcony, actually mingled among us. It was very strange, and incredibly unsettling. Peeta and I found ourselves clinging to Lucy, who had just reappeared out of nowhere with a pink tinge to her cheeks - she was easy to find in that rainbow dress, but for the last twenty minutes, I hadn’t seen it at all - and then we were joined by President Snow himself.

“Mr. and Mrs. Mellark, good evening to you,” Snow said to us, clued into the effect he had on us, and then he looked at Lucy. “Miss Greyson, was it?”

“Yes, sir,” said Lucy, giving him a bit of a curtsy.

“Your dress is very beautiful. Very... sentimental, I hear,” Snow replied. “Best of luck in the Games.”

“Thank you, sir,” said Lucy as he left us alone.

“Wow, what an honour, District Twelve,” came the smug voice of Johanna Mason, dressed in a tan-coloured floor-length tulle dress with an intricate leafy pattern up the bodice and down the loose elbow-length sleeves. “President Snow, wishing the District Twelve tribute ‘good luck’.”

“I’m sure if _your_ tribute had a stunning rainbow dress that was the talk of the Capitol, President Snow would talk to her, too,” Peeta told her, teasing her.

“In a dress that looks like a Capitol Yule tree? I think not,” Johanna hissed. “You all do look amazing. I wish my stylist wasn’t such an idiot. Trees and leaves in _everything_ \- makes me sick.” Johanna raised an eyebrow at me next. “Bread boy certainly looks fantastic. Bet you can’t wait to rip that suit off of him later.”

“Most definitely can’t. He’s not himself in it,” I replied, keeping up with her banter, although I was certainly more venomous in mine. Johanna smirked.

“Just don’t have too much fun. I hear the District Eleven mentors had to move their rooms to get any sleep,” Johanna replied, and just like that, she was off, my face red and steam likely coming out of my ears, but a cool kiss on my cheek from Peeta’s lips brought me back down.

“She’s just teasing you, honey. Let’s go get something to drink,” he told me, and I complied without a word.

It wasn’t the best idea (at least, not the next morning) but Peeta and I wordlessly decided to get pissed drunk to make the night we were about to have completely forgettable. We’d probably be messy and not very beautiful in bed, but we’d still have sex, and we’d still very likely conceive a child. At least we wouldn’t consciously be aware of the fact that our bodies would be exposed to the citizens of the Capitol. I don’t remember much, but from what I do remember, Peeta seemed to have a vague idea of what was expected of us, and despite how drunk we were, he made sure to still put on a show for our viewers. I was so out of it that I had forgotten there even were viewers until we woke up the next morning, our heads pounding and our mouths feeling as if they were full of cotton. I rolled over onto my back with a groan and out of the corner of my eye, spotted a silver tray with a notecard, two cups of water and two little white pills on it. Picking up the card, it read:

_Excellent work last night. Your viewers were very satisfied. You will be brought to the hospital in three days’ time to check for conception. Take this pill to feel better._

_Happy Hunger Games._

_\- C. S._

The note made me sick, and I scoffed and tossed it aside, then remembered that I was in a ridiculously large and ridiculously ornate bedroom somewhere in President Snow’s mansion. The Games were about to begin, and Peeta and I were hungover as hell from the previous night. I passed him one of the pills and a glass of water and we got dressed, not looking at one another, and made our way back to the Hotel to change.

* * *

**THIRD PERSON POV: THE FORBIDDEN LOVERS**

* * *

He’d always been told he could have the pick of any girl he’d wanted, but the one girl he did want was a girl he couldn’t have. All their lives, he’d never known she existed, he on one side of the country and her on the other, and now, they were to face each other in a match to the death, in which it was either kill or be killed. He wouldn't kill her, though. He couldn’t ruin that beautiful face, carved from the clouds of heaven themselves, or take the beautiful life of that beautiful girl. He longed to feel his lips on hers, but would it be in vain? What if he died tomorrow - or worse, what if she did?

“You just have to seize every moment you’re given. We won’t have many left,” her words from earlier, at the knot-tying station, echoed in his mind. Well, seize the moment he must do. He spied the prismatic colours of her dress and asked for a dance, which she willingly gave him.

“We’re the talk of the town,” he told her, his hazel eyes on her grey ones.

“So we are,” she replied. “It won’t matter tomorrow. I’ll likely be dead.”

“No you won’t,” he told her. “I won’t let that happen.”

“You’ll defy expectations for a girl from the absolute poorest part of the country with no survival skills whatsoever?” she asked him, and he smiled.

“Somebody once told me to seize every moment I’m given, and I won’t be given very many more. Why don’t we seize this one?” She let him lead her from the dance floor to the gardens, the pair of them walking hand in hand beneath the moonlight.

“Don’t let your heart get yourself killed,” she warned him.

“My heart knows what it’s destined to do,” he replied.

“You could win this. You have the strength... We can’t... _be_ anything, anyway, and I’ve nothing waiting for me at home,” she told him, stopping him. He opened his mouth to reply, but her grey eyes stopped him. Their eyes grew in size as their faces drew nearer, and soon, her soft, warm lips were pressed against his.

This moment was theirs and theirs alone, because tomorrow, there may not be any left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What will the story of the forbidden lovers tell in arena? Do you think Snow is getting scared?
> 
> Please review!


	21. The 77th Hunger Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The 77th Hunger Games commence. Katniss has a few words for the victor.

* * *

**PEETA POV**

* * *

The Games were finally underway and for the very start of them, Haymitch, Katniss and I were in the control room while both Lark and Maevis sat in a little playpen. Maevis, now eight months, was a lot more interesting of a playmate for Lark, so the pair of them were rolling a ball between the two of them. “No, Meevis, roll it to me!” Lark exclaimed at her little sister, who had rolled the ball past Lark, and Maevis simply giggled and clapped her little baby hands. I smiled at my two girls playing together, then turned my attention back to the screen before me, which was in countdown.

The arena was something else new this year - an underground cavern, something that had  _ never _ been done before in the last seventy-seven years of Hunger Games. It was dark, with only some constantly-lit lamps to light the tunnels and the huge cavern where the cornucopia and the tributes were, and there was no access to the outside world. The arena was entirely underground, which was likely going to make for a very interesting Games this year. Our tributes were on opposite ends of the cornucopia, and Lucy had planned to ally up with Lucas for as long as she could, but Lucas seemed very resistant to the idea. He wanted to work alone, but with his minimal survival skills and choosing to favour weapons in training, he wasn’t going to get very far. There weren’t a lot of opportunities for natural food sources in this arena at all -  _ maybe _ bats and some insects, and some minerally water, but there weren’t any plants that I could see in this arena. These Games were likely going to be over very quickly.

The countdown ended and the bloodbath commenced. It was always hard to see where our tributes ended up, but within the first five minutes of the Games, we could already see one of the trackers of our tributes disappear - Lucas’s - signalling that he had already been killed. It was very dark and with all the ensuing chaos, it was very hard to see what exactly had happened to Lucas, but we’d probably see it later this evening in the recap, when everything calmed down. By the end of the bloodbath, eleven tributes were dead - the girl from One, Peridot, surprisingly, Cellyk from Three (which was predictable), both Iness and Neuro from District Five, Plug from Six, Mystere and Hollick from Eight, Quest from Nine, Ostriny from Ten, Rig from Eleven and Lucas from Twelve. The recap showed Lucas being slashed across the chest and throat by Peridot, who was soon after rammed through the chest by a spear from Cassius of District Four. This left thirteen survivors - Chrome, Freya, Odysseus, Geometra, Cordelia, Cassius, Juness, Jereka, Rowan, Lebellum, Venom, Penance and Lucy.

“We’re down one, the boy,” Haymitch said, stating the obvious.

“We knew that, Haymitch. We knew that was going to happen, too,” I told him.

“And you wanted to save the boy,” Haymitch replied.

“I wanted to save  _ both _ of them, but that’s impossible in the Games,” I spat back.

“You gave him hope, and that made him cocky,” said Haymitch, and I let out a sigh.

“Daddy,” I heard a little voice say, and I felt a tug on my pant leg. Looking down, my two-and-a-half-year-old daughter looked up at me, her beautiful silver eyes wide with wonder.

“Honeybun, how’d you get out the playpen? You’re supposed to stay in there!” I said, picking up my older daughter and holding her on my hip, and then I looked at Katniss. “Someone’s got your habit of escaping, I see.”

“Keep a wild girl in a cage, she’ll find a way out,” Katniss told me cheekily.

“What’s the matter, honey?” I asked my daughter, turning my attention back to her. “Do you have to go potty? We can go to the potty if you want.” She shook her head, then pointed at the screen.

“What happen?” she asked, watching the recap of Lucas’s murder on the screen. She knew what blood was, and she knew what happened when I cut myself with a knife in the kitchen when cooking. “He have boo-boo. He need help.” I let out a sigh - death was too much for my little girl to comprehend right now, or at least, I thought it was. God knows we’d all been desensitised to the horrors of the Hunger Games since we were Lark’s age.

“He’s hurt, sweetie. He’ll be okay. He’s gonna go to a good place and be made all better,” I told her. I didn’t like the idea of my daughters in the same room as the screen that showed the Games. It was easier when Lark was younger, too young to pay attention to the screen and too young to really understand what was going on, but now, she was starting to have an idea. “Can Daddy put you back to play with Maevis now, honey? Daddy’s gotta work.”

“No!” Lark exclaimed, and I sighed. Katniss then stood up and came up to me, holding her hands out for our daughter.

“I’ll take her for a walk,” she said, and I passed our daughter into her arms. “Just keep an eye on Lucy, all right? We’re getting her out.”

“Absolutely,” I said, and she kissed my cheek before she left the room with Lark.

“How was last night?” Haymitch asked me once Katniss had left. He knew what we’d had to do, and he knew what the goal of the evening was. “Any luck?”

“We won’t know for a couple more days... I don’t know how they know so early. Katniss says that women don’t know in the districts until they’re at least a month, but usually closer to two,” I replied, sitting back down in my seat.

“I just hope all this works out for you two. I hate seein’ ya both so damn miserable,” Haymitch replied. I hated it, too, Haymitch, more than anything in the world. I hated how afraid of Snow Katniss was, and I hated how afraid she was of the reapings. This girl, who didn’t fear people who held a knife to her, who laughed in the face of danger and feared nothing, was reduced to a shell of the woman she once was. All because of her fear of losing the people she loved most. Prim still had three more years of reapings left, in nine years, Lark would have seven reapings if Katniss hadn’t made the bargain to keep her safe from them, and in eleven years, Maevis would also have seven reapings. And this next one - our son - would have seven reapings in twelve years.

I’d always wanted children ever since I was a child myself, but never like this. I always pictured myself with a daughter that looked like Katniss, with her brown hair in two braids and Katniss’s beautiful grey eyes, and then a son with my mop of blonde hair and blue eyes. I wanted us to plan for children and decide when  _ we _ were ready for them, not when the Capitol ‘needed a distraction’. I loved my daughters more than anything in the world - Lark, who was born out of love but raised for the Capitol, and Maevis, who was born out of necessity for the Capitol - and I knew I would love my son, too, but I was miserable with my situation. My children weren’t here because they were wanted by two parents who were grown and able to care for them, they were here because the Capitol demanded them to be - because  _ Snow _ required them of us, two people who were still kids themselves. I imagined many scenarios of myself and my family over the years, but this was never it. Never could I have imagined a scenario so horrible, and it was only going to get worse.

The second day of the Games saw the deaths of Juness and Cassius at the hands of Chrome, who had no allies but himself, and Geometra was killed by an attack of bat muttations. The only alliance that had formed was the one between Odysseus and Lucy, who found each other on the third day and agreed to work together. “I don’t think this a good idea, but I’ll stay with you as long as I deem myself able to,” Lucy had said to him.

“I already told you, if it comes down to it, Lucy, then I won’t kill you,” Odysseus replied.

“Why aren’t you with the Careers? Or Freya, at least?” Lucy asked the District Two boy.

“Peridot’s dead, Chrome’s an idiot, and Freya... we have different goals,” Odysseus replied. “She wants a chance to win, but I want  _ you _ to win.”

“So she’ll probably kill us both if she sees us,” Lucy stated, and Odysseus nodded.

“Most likely, yeah,” he said honestly. They made a good pair, managing to find a few bats and cook them for food, but they stayed well hidden. On the fifth day, Odysseus protected Lucy from a poisonous snake, which had been unleashed on them by Jereka and Rowan from District Seven. Rowan got away, but Odysseus managed to kill Jereka before he and Lucy fled to a safer tunnel. By the sixth day, the surviving tributes were Chrome, Freya, Odysseus, Cordelia, Rowan, Lebellum, Venom, Penance and Lucy - nine tributes left.

A few days after the Games began, Katniss was brought to her appointment at the hospital to check for conception, and sure enough, all those fertility treatments confirmed that she was pregnant, and Katniss and I breathed a sigh of relief. We wouldn’t have to stay in the Capitol to try again, and we’d only have to come back in a few weeks’ time to confirm the gender of the baby, which was fine by us. We were finally free to focus on the Games and our remaining tribute.

On the eighth day, a feast was held to bring out the tributes from hiding after a day of no action whatsoever, and it brought out Odysseus, Freya, Cordelia, Rowan, Venom and Chrome. A fight broke out, of course, and Venom had managed to coat the blade of his knife with the venom of a poisonous snake. While Chrome took on Rowan, Cordelia and Freya, Venom slashed Odysseus’s arm and while Venom ran, Odysseus threw a knife in his back, killing him. Now wounded and poisoned, Odysseus raced back to Lucy while the cannon went off two more times, signalling the ends of Cordelia and Rowan. We sent them food and fresh water as well, and a set of bandages for Odysseus, but we just couldn’t afford medicine. The mentors of District Two likely did have the funds to send their tribute medicine to save him, but for some reason, they weren’t.

“He’s goin’ against everythin’ that District Two stands for in the Games,” Haymitch said. “Doesn’t wanna kill, won’t kill the girl... They picked their other tribute and they’re leavin’ him to die.” It was heartbreaking, actually, to watch his slow decline over a period of a couple of days. On the tenth day, Chrome had managed to kill Lebellum and on the eleventh, Freya and Penance had a spat that ended in Penance’s death. This just left Chrome, Freya, Odysseus and Lucy - four tributes left. On the twelfth day, it was obvious that Odysseus was on his last legs, and Lucy did all she could for him. She’d tended to his wounds and tried her best to prevent infection, but to no avail. So she sat with him and sang to him, a sweet song that Katniss had once sang to Rue when we were in our arena, now three years ago.

_ ‘Deep in the meadow, under the willow _

_ A bed of grass, a soft green pillow _

_ Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes, _

_ And when again they open, the sun will rise. _

_ Here it’s safe, here it’s warm, _

_ Here the daisies guard you from every harm _

_ Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true. _

_ Here is the place where I love you... _

She touched his face lightly, and he smiled at her, his breathing heavy and his face likely warm from fever. They resembled Katniss and myself from a memory long ago - the fair-haired boy dying in a dark cave, and the girl with the dark hair hovering over him, tenderly giving him her care in an effort to keep him alive. She lowered her face to kiss his sweaty brow, then led a trail of kisses down his face until they sweetly touched his lips. Suddenly, footsteps approaching alerted both of them to a nearby presence - it was Freya, who stood bathed in the unnatural light of the lantern.

“Lucy... go...” Odysseus muttered quietly, but Lucy didn’t move, not even when Freya began to carefully approach the pair. As she came into the light, the expression on her face wasn’t a murderous look, but instead, sympathetic. She fell to her knees beside Odysseus, her hands resting on her knees.

“You’re dying,” she said to him.

“Lucy, you need to-” Odysseus began to say to Lucy, but Freya stopped him.

“I’m not going to hurt her,” she whispered quietly. At the time, I was in the lobby with other Capitolites and victors, standing beside Finnick, Glitter and Aristotle Archer, who had once been Glitter’s mentor, as we watched the dramatic scene before us. There was an audible gasp from the Capitol citizens at Freya’s shocking admission - she, too, was defying expectations of District Two. “You love her... I’ll keep her safe. For you.” Freya placed a hand on Odysseus’s shoulder, and he weakly covered hers with his. Lucy laid down beside him, her head on his chest, and the two girls sat in silence with Odysseus while he slowly died. It took another hour or so, but his breathing slowed until it stopped completely, his cannon signalling the end of his short but chaotic life.

“I can’t believe it,” Finnick muttered. “Both of them... They’re not...”

“They’re not killers,” Glitter said, finishing his thought.

“No wonder they didn’t ally with our tributes,” Aristotle said. He was on the young side, like us, having won the 63rd Hunger Games, the year before Finnick.

“No,” I chimed in. “She... She’s allying with Lucy... But there’s three left.”

“She must really care about that boy,” said Finnick, looking at me. If there was anything Finnick and I knew best, it was of notions of the heart. Finnick and I both loved wholeheartedly and unconditionally, and we’d both made sacrifices for those we cared about most. A small part of me hoped Lucy wouldn’t trust the District Two girl, as she had proven to be cold-hearted and determined to win in the past, but something told me that Freya’s intentions were true.

The final showdown would be later that same day, between Lucy, Freya and Chrome. Chrome might be dumber than a sack of flour, but he was strong and he was anxious for the Games to come to an end, and he wanted to be the victor. He vilely taunted the two girls, threatening to end them in a way most horrible for the sake of glory, but his cockiness would get in the way. He miscalculated exactly how skilful Freya was at misdirection and he took a knife in the shoulder, but he was still standing. “Is that all you’ve got,  _ girl _ ?” he taunted, and with his injured arm, he still skillfully threw his spear at Freya, who dodged it and threw another knife, this time sinking it into his neck. He stumbled backwards and held his hand to his wound, cackling as he began to spit up blood. “Congratulations, Victor,” he spat, and then he died.

But the Games weren’t over yet. Freya turned to face Lucy, seemingly prepared to sacrifice herself, but Chrome’s spear was embedded in her abdomen - just like the one that had been in Rue. “No,” I whispered, my hands over my mouth.

“No... Lucy!” Freya exclaimed, running to the other girl’s side and catching her as she collapsed.

“Looks like you get to win after all,” Lucy muttered weakly and with amusement.

“I didn’t want it to be this way. He wanted it to be you,” Freya told her with emotion.

“Well... Life wouldn’t have been much fun without him anyway. Think I’ll try it this way,” Lucy replied, grimacing from the pain. “Make our deaths count...” Freya nodded as Lucy slipped away.

“I promise,” she muttered quietly, and the cannon went off, signalling the end of the Hunger Games, and of Lucy Greyson. Freya Deshannon of District Two was the victor of the 77th Hunger Games, and she made it clear that she didn’t want to be.

We were due to head back to District Twelve a few days after the Games came to an end with two more names to add to our list, but Katniss seemed to have other plans. “Take the girls and hold the train for me. I have to do something,” she told me, handing Maevis to me.

“Katniss, what are you doing?” I asked her, concerned she was getting herself into something she very well couldn’t get out of.

“I’ll tell you later. Just wait for me,” she replied, and she gave me a chaste kiss on my lips before rushing off to God knew where.

* * *

**KATNISS POV**

* * *

I wanted to see Freya, if I could, and that likely meant sneaking into the Tribute Tower and onto her floor, the second floor. I’d seen all of her mentors in the lounge of the Hotel sharing a celebratory bottle of champagne or five - Milla Darwin, the oldest, Talin Barkley, Nova Teller, Reglin Grigg, the rather smug Lenerok Kifflin, Brutus Athens, Magnow Rose, Enobaria Heller and Cyrus Tyranny, getting drunk instead of spending time with their new victor. Because of this, I knew she’d be alone, so getting into her room without arousing suspicion would be easy. I got on the elevator, telling a peacekeeper that Lucy had left an item in her room and I had yet to retrieve it, and made my way to the second floor. The elevator let off immediately into the suite, so when I came in, I scanned the room, but it was empty. I cleared my throat. “Freya?” I called. I heard shuffling come from the bedroom and the door opened, and the eighteen-year-old girl with strawberry blonde hair and a silver stare exited from the room. She was young, but only a year younger than myself.

“Katniss Everdeen,” she said suspiciously, surprised to see me in her room. “What brings you here?” She crossed her arms.

“I wanted to thank you... for what you did for Lucy in the arena,” I told her. “It was... incredibly brave... and unheard of, especially for...”

“For a Career?” Freya asked me, and I nodded.

“Why didn’t you kill her?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of me. Freya shrugged.

“I didn’t save her. Does it matter?” she asked.

“She was a girl from District Twelve, and she was hovering over your dying district partner.”

“I knew she didn’t kill him. I knew she wouldn’t. And I cared a lot about him.” I nodded subtly, glancing at my feet.

“Congratulations, on winning... We’ll be seeing each other soon, on the Victory Tour.”

“District Twelve is my first stop, isn’t it?” I nodded. “Then I guess I’ll see you then.” I couldn’t say what I wanted to say to this girl here, not in the middle of the Capitol in one of the most likely bugged rooms in the entire country. I sent her a warning with my eyes that her actions put her on thin ice, and I only hoped she could read them; she gave a subtle nod, then went back into her room. I think she did understand me.

When I returned to the train, I found Effie freaking out over the fact that I was ‘making everyone late’ by some last minute errand I needed to run, but I brushed her off and simply climbed onto the train. I sought out my husband, who was putting our daughters down for a nap in the room that once was mine when we were on this train as tributes, and then as victors. I stood in the doorway and watched as he tended to them. “Goodnight, my beautiful girls. Daddy will see you soon, when nap time is over,” he told them both, kissing their little cheeks and tucking them in. “I hope you both have the sweetest dreams.” He turned to leave the room, stopping when he saw me, and then exited the room and closed the door when we were both in the hall. “So,” he asked me. “What was that about?”

“I’ll tell you at home,” I told him, reaching up and wrapping my arms around his neck. “I’m so glad to finally be going home...”

“Me too, but we’ll be back on this train in a few weeks, when we have to go back to the Capitol to see if the baby’s a boy,” Peeta reminded me, and I let out a sigh.

“I know... but at least we can have a little peace,” I replied. Neither of us wanted to acknowledge the fact that we were, again, returning home with no tribute - our list had been bumped up to eight names now. I’ll never forget those eight names - Penelope Ruewood, Thelma Ruewood, Sage Darcy, Eliza Darcy, Millie Dawson, Vick Hawthorne, and now, Lucy Greyson and Lucas Steele. Eight people that trusted me and Peeta and Haymitch to bring them home; eight people that we had failed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why would Freya want to keep Lucy alive? What could possibly have motivated this District Two Career to want to spare the life of a girl from District Twelve?
> 
> Please review!
> 
> **I hope this doesn’t seem too rushed. I always want to go into more details, ESPECIALLY about the tributes in this years’ Games, but since this story spans years and I still have so much of this story to tell, I tried to keep it short-ish.
> 
> I really really really cannot write a short story. I’m already at over 120k words :’)


	22. The Weep of the Willow Tree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katniss comes across Gale in the woods and it doesn’t end well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ‘Willow Tree’ — Tudor Lodge
> 
> **Warning: Gale is a m a j o r asshole in this one.**

* * *

**KATNISS POV**

* * *

Many months had passed and it was now mid-November. Maevis was a year old now and starting to walk and Lark, who was almost three, was proving to be an excellent teacher to her little sister. They were both with Peeta and his family at the bakery, his parents having claimed they missed their granddaughters and wanted Peeta to bring them when he went there to work, and he couldn’t deny them. He loved them both so dearly, and things had been so much better for them ever since Mellie finally saw the person she had become and decided to make a change. Peeta says he found Mellie and Caseo dancing together in the bakery kitchen early one morning, laughing and smiling in a way that he’d never seen them do before. A small part of me was jealous of Peeta’s mother for finally coming through - she wasn’t trying to control him, she wasn’t trying to influence him, she was just spoiling her granddaughters and trying to rebuild her relationship with him. Agnessa never did any of that. She just got better from her depression but she never tried to change anything. Even three years later, sometimes she’d still try to control me, and she was part of the reason I was in the woods, trying hard to find a moment of peace to myself. She’d told me I needed to rest, as I was four months pregnant and had had a slew of difficult births, but I was so tired of hearing it, so I went to the woods to hide.

Peeta hadn’t really let me into the woods if he wasn’t with me, mostly because we still hadn’t seen or heard from Gale and Peeta was worried he’d follow up on his threat. The Games that had taken his little brother away were now almost a year and a half ago, but knowing from the experience of losing my entire family, I know that the pain and the anger at the unfairness of it all doesn’t go away. Gale was a very angry person, I’d come to learn - too much fire, while I was more like water. I, too, had once been a flame, but I was born a river, ever changing and adapting. Adding fire to more fire will only make the fire bigger, and it will grow and grow until it out of control and it destroys everything in its path. Very unlike Gale, Peeta was like... a dandelion in the spring. Strong, sturdy, resilient, a sign of hope that the bleak days of winter would soon be behind us. Fire would have destroyed that dandelion, but water feeds it. It was more than obvious that Gale and I were never meant to be, but he didn’t seem to want to admit that. Well, maybe not once, but now that I was the girl who promised she would protect his brother, but failed... he probably thought differently now.

It was a Tuesday, so there was no chance of Gale being in the woods today. An early snow had fallen and it was a bit deep, surprisingly, for this soon before winter. Evidently, it would be a long, cold winter full of no life, a lot of storms and grey, cloud-covered skies; the sun wouldn’t shine again for quite some time. I was attuned to the woods, listening to the wintry breeze that whispered to the trees, lifting whatever leaves they had left from their branches and forcing them to flutter down onto the forest floor, but it was still quiet. I should have heard the crunch of the approaching footsteps behind me.

I jumped when I felt a hand grab me by shoulder and drag me off of my rock, and then I was violently turned and shoved up against a tree, my silver Hebridean eyes meeting the grey Seam eyes of Gale. Anger and hatred flickered through them while momentary fear danced in mine, but I shoved that fear aside and sent him a fiery glare right back. “Gale! The hell do you think you’re doing?” I hissed at him, struggling to free myself from his grasp, but he was holding me to the tree very tightly.

“You promised you’d bring him  _ back! _ ” Gale spat at me angrily, his voice loud with fury.

“If you don’t lower your voice, you’ll scare all your game away!” I spat back furiously.

“These are my hunting grounds. If I catch you here again-”

“You’ll kill me?” I said, cutting him off. He grabbed me by my coat and threw me to the ground, taking several steps away from me before turning back to face me.

“I don’t know who the hell you are anymore. The Games changed you. You’re not my Catnip anymore.”

“I never was,” I said, struggling to stand with a pain in my shoulder.

“You let him die in that arena. He was poisoned, you could have sent him medicine!”

“Don’t you think we tried? Gale, the longer the Games go on, the more expensive supplies get! Nobody in the Capitol wanted to sponsor a young kid from District Twelve! To them, he was dispensable, and we tried and we tried to get the money to send him antivenom but we just couldn’t do it in time... Do you really think that I would willingly let Vick die in the arena? Gale, if I could have gone in there myself, then I would have!”

“You didn’t try hard enough.”

“Haymitch, Peeta and I were all trying our best. There’s only so much you can do when your hands are tied.”

“My mother still hasn’t stopped crying. Do you have any idea what it’s like to lose a child? Or a little brother?”

“Don’t play stupid with me. I told you once that I lost my  _ entire family _ before I came here from Hebridia. You  _ knew _ that. No, I don’t know what it’s like to lose a child, but I love my children more than anything in the world and I know how scared I am to lose them! You have  _ no idea _ what lengths I have gone to try and keep my daughters safe!”

“You think my mother wouldn’t do the same? That  _ I _ wouldn’t do the same for my own son?”

“I didn’t know you had a son...”

“He was born in April. My aunt delivered him. I didn’t want you.”

“I wasn’t working then, anyway.” For a moment, we silently stared at each other, as if in a contest to see who could stare at the other with more anger and hatred in their eyes. “Gale... You have no reason to hate me... I did nothing wrong...”

“You didn’t bring Vick back.”

“And I live with the guilt of that every single day! I see his death in my nightmares, haunting me along with the deaths of the seven other tributes that I couldn’t bring home. The odds were always against us...”

“You couldn’t save him. You might as well have killed him.”

“That’s not how it works.”

“ _ I _ couldn’t save him! Rory didn’t volunteer for him! He could have been alive today if he had!”

“Then Rory would be dead, and you’d still have lost a brother.” He was silent for a moment. “Gale... I know what it’s like to lose my brothers... I had five of them... Their names were Dòmhnall, Cailean, Calum, Alasdair and Anndra and I would have died protecting each and every one of them if I could have... but instead, I was the one who had to survive. I’ll never know what happened to them... I’ll never see them again... Never hear their laughs, or see their smiles, or put on another crab puppet show with them... I know how much you’re hurting, and I can assure you that I know that the pain will never go away...”

“You’ll never know what it’s like to be betrayed the way that I have.” Betrayed? Oh, no...

“Betrayed? Gale-”

“It was supposed to be  _ us _ . You were supposed to love  _ me _ , marry  _ me _ and have  _ my _ children!  _ Me! _ The man who was actually there for you, who you could be whoever you wanted to be around, who loved you and accepted you the way you were and never wanted you to change!  _ Me! _ Then maybe those  _ goddamn _ Capitol idiots would have had any sympathy for my brother because he would have been  _ yours _ too!”

“ _ Gale- _ ” He started to take a few steps towards me.

“Instead, here you are, married to that  _ fucking _ townie who never even had the balls to talk to you until he told the _ whole fucking world _ that he had a crush on you, who threw you bread in the rain instead of walking it out to you like a  _ goddamn _ coward. You’re having  _ his  _ children, and he flaunts you around like a goddamn trophy! That’s all you fucking are now, Katniss  _ Everdeen _ . A trophy for the Capitol. You, and Mellark, and your half-breed children... and you’ve got another one, huh? You two just can’t stop rubbing that in my  _ fucking _ face, can you?”

“Gale, please...” I backed up, finding myself cornered against the tree he had thrown me against while Gale came at me in a blind emotional rage that must have been building up for  _ years _ now.

“You took away my brother, and you ripped my heart out... and now I’m going to take away something from you.” I felt a very sharp pain in my lower abdomen, right underneath where my pregnant belly was already showing, as his fist came into contact with me. It knocked the wind out of me and as I cried out in pain, I collapsed to the ground, watching Gale’s retreating footsteps from my place in the snow. “Don’t show your face in these fucking woods again or I won’t hesitate to shoot you.”  _ Not if I shoot you first _ , I thought to myself, but I had no space in my mind to think about such an event. I began to feel warm all over when I was left alone, unable to move from the amount of pain that should have dissipated by now. Something was wrong, seriously wrong, and using my midwifery experience, I tried to think my way to the answer, but I was so, so dizzy. The edges of my vision began to darken, and the blackness swallowed up the white of the wintry woods.

* * *

I was falling down hard and fast, deep into a hole that seemed to have no end. There was no light above me and there was no light below me and I was spinning out of control, unable to grasp anything. I had no idea how far from me the walls were, if they were even there.

And then, I landed.

I picked up my head, searching for any sign of where I was, but it was still too dark. I felt the surface below my fingers - soft, grass-like, and it smelled of Earth. I was numb - I should have been in pain, from a fall like that, but alas, I felt nothing. I must be dreaming... I pushed myself to stand, and as I stood, I looked up to see small little lights descending from incalculable heights above, dancing as if they were Fae, and as they neared, I could hear the sound of high-pitched whispers.

“Hello?” I called, finding myself bathed in the light that they brought down upon me. These lights, innumerable, began to circle me, and the whispers faded into the sound of a summer breeze as whatever world I was thrust into came to life around me - I was in a meadow. There was a babbling brook that ran around the little grassy island that I found myself on, and towards the opposite end was a tall weeping willow tree. The little lights giggled and began to settle in the branches of the willow tree, and I found myself drawn to it. I took a step, surprised to find myself barefoot, and I looked down to find myself shrouded in a loose organdy dress of white that fell past my knees. My chocolate brown curls were loose down my back, and on my head, a flower crown, placed there by a pair of lights that giggled and danced in front of me. I raised my hand to touch one, and it landed on my finger. “Who... who are you?” I asked it.

“I am the guardian of dreams,” said the little light in a high-pitched, childlike voice.

“What is your name?” I asked it.

“Lucy,” said the little light, and it floated away from me. Lucy? This little light was called Lucy? I looked to the other one, which still hovered beside me.

“And what is your name, little one?” I asked it, offering my hand for it to land on, but it wouldn’t take.

“Sage,” said the light, and then it, too, followed the light called Lucy to hide in the branches of the willow tree. I followed the little light called Sage to the willow tree, and as I approached, all of the little lights began to sing.

_ ‘The sound of her footsteps _

_ Disappear into the sunset. _

_ Shrouded in organdy and wine...’ _

“What’s going on here?” I asked the lights, now irritated, but they continued to sing, and they left their perch to once again dance around me.

_ ‘She’s left all her memories _

_ With the guardian of dreams... _

_ Like leaves from the willow tree, _

_ Weeping tears into the stream...’ _

“Who are you? Who are all of you?” I cried out, panicked and frightened. “Peeta? Where’s Peeta?” I called out to the lights.

“There’s no Peeta among us,” said one of the little lights.

“Not yet,” said another.

“But who  _ are  _ you? What  _ are _ you?” I asked them again.

“Thelma,” said a light.

“Millie,” said another.

“Lucas.”

“Vick.”

“Eliza.”

“Penelope.” These names, they were familiar. All of them.

“Petra.” A name I hadn’t heard in quite a while - a name I heard pulled from a glass bowl the year before my own sister’s name was.

“Don.”

“Augusta.”

“Hanna.”

“Drill.”

“Suisanna.”

“Care.”

“Bask.”

“Jessup.”

“ _ Lucy Gray _ .”

I felt sick. The world around me was spinning again and tears threatened my eyes as I ran from the willow tree in an attempt to escape these lights, who circled me as if they were angry with me - angry because I couldn’t save them. “I couldn’t save you,” I said to the lights as I collapsed by the stream, and they began to sing again.

_ ‘The sound of her footsteps _

_ Disappear into the sunset. _

_ Shrouded in organdy and wine... _

_ She’s left all her memories _

_ With the guardian of dreams. _

_ Like leaves from the willow tree, _

_ Weeping tears into the stream...’ _

“Stop! Stop! Stop!” I screamed, my eyes shut tight and my hands over my ears. “Stop it! All of you, stop it! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” I heard the sound of their mournfully playful, childlike song fade, and when I opened my eyes, the world around me again was black. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t see, I couldn’t hear, and I collapsed yet again.

* * *

_ “This looks like it was self-inflicted. Do you see the size of that bruise?” _

_ “She’d never do that, though. She wanted this! You have no idea how much.” _

_ “The bruising is about the size of a male fist maybe. Did you have anything to do with this?” _

_ “Of course not! I’m the one that found her like this in the woods!” _

_ “He wouldn’t do a damn stupid thing like that, that boy loves that girl and he loves his kids!” _

_ “Would she have any reason to do such a thing?” _

_ “No! Katniss would never!” _

_ “Who let that child into this room? This is official Capitol business.” _

_ “She’s not a child, she’s almost sixteen years old, and she’s training to be a midwife. She’s one of the first people I called to be here when I found Katniss in the woods!” _

_ “Well, clearly, something was done here, and someone will pay for this. That child, and Ms. Everdeen, are property of the Capitol.” _

There were voices all around me and I didn’t recognise any of them. Well, I recognised some. Maybe? There was a harsh female voice that was arguing with another male voice, one that seemed familiar and warm, one that made me feel safe and protected from whoever owned the harsh female voice. There was also a harsher male voice, but it didn’t seem unfriendly, not like the female voice. These voices... they didn’t sound like those pesky little lights that taunted me with their names - the names of children that I couldn’t save. I opened my mouth and tried to force out a word, but all that came out was a small whimper.

“Katniss!” cried the softer male voice, and I felt a warm, firm hand wrap itself tightly around my own and I felt another on my cheek, pushing the hair from my eyes. “Katniss... Katniss, honey, talk to me. Are you okay? Katniss!”

“Katniss?” came another voice - young, small and female, so unlike the harsh voice I’d heard before, and I felt a pressure on whatever surface I was lying on beside me.

“Ms. Everdeen,” said the harsh female voice.

“It’s  _ Mellark _ !” snapped the young female voice. “Peeta, say her name again. She responded best to you.” Peeta... something about that was familiar. Something about that word - name? - made my heart flutter and made my whole body warm.

“P...pee...ta...” I repeated quietly.

“Yes... Yes, Katniss, my love, it’s me... it’s Peeta...” said the male voice. “Can we have some privacy, please?” He was addressing the harsh female voice, I was sure.

“I need to question Ms. Everdeen-” the harsh voice began, but it was interrupted.

“ _ Mellark! _ ” the young female voice, the harsher male voice and the softer male voice spat back in unison.

“You’re not questioning her when she’s just woken up for the first time in four days! Please, just go back to the Justice Building and I’ll call you when she’s well enough to speak! She’s just gone through an extremely traumatic experience!” the softer male voice snapped angrily. I heard a ‘hmph’, and then a set of heels storm out of the room, then another set of footsteps, and a door slamming behind them. “Katniss... Baby, are you with me? Say something...”

“Pee...ta...” I croaked again, trying hard to will my eyes to open. I could see a slit of light through the darkness finally, and when my eyes adjusted, a set of eyes the colour of the sky filled with panic and worry met mine. The face - the charming, handsome face, with a brilliant and beautiful smile framed by a mess of honey golden curls - smiled and tears of joy began to fall from those sweet blue eyes that were the first thing I saw since I was tormented by the lights. Weakly, I raised a hand to touch that face, just to make sure it was real, and his hand cradled mine in his against his face and he pressed his lips to my fingertips.

“You’re alive...” he whispered to me.

“The... lights... are... they...” I began, unable to finish my sentence.

“It’s just the window, Katniss. I can close the curtains if the light’s bothering you,” said the man, who must have been Peeta, sweetly. Weakly, I shook my head.

“What... hap...pen...” I managed to spit out.

“I don’t know... I found you in the woods unconscious... You were bleeding so much... God, you gave me such a scare!” This poor man was crying again, and I used whatever strength I could muster to wipe away his tears.

“Shh... no... cry...” I said, and he chuckled through his tears.

“I should be the one comforting you... and here you are, selfless as always, comforting me,” he said. He moved down to kiss my forehead, then my cheek, and very lightly, my lips. As his lips brushed mine, I knew then exactly who this man was - he was Peeta Mellark, my husband of three years, the love of my life and the father of my two - no, three - children. Almost three. I was four months pregnant with our third - or so I last recalled. My memories were fuzzy. I saw Peeta exchange a look with someone sitting nearby, and then I heard more footsteps and a door close. “Katniss...” Peeta said again, his thumb rubbing my cheek in small circles. “Do you remember anything? About what happened?”

“No... do... do... you...” He shook his head.

“I wasn’t there... You were so cold when I found you, and so pale... There was so much blood. Honey, I thought you were dead. They... They said you lost the baby...”

“Baby...” I muttered, my hand leaving his face and trying to find the small bump that had been growing, but I found nothing but emptiness. “What...”

“Did someone attack you?” I looked up at him again, his arms encasing me and though not touching me, holding me to the bed. Almost like... no... He... He wouldn’t have, he... My eyes widened, and I shook my head in response to Peeta’s question. “Katniss, President Snow is very upset about this. If someone did this to you, tell me now, before that horrible Capitol official comes back to question you. If you tell me, she won’t have to bother you.”

“No... no one... attacked... me...” I lied, but I could tell Peeta knew I was lying. He lowered his voice.

“Are you protecting someone?” I hesitated for a moment, but I shook my head again. He couldn’t know about Gale, and what Gale did to me. He couldn’t know that Gale hit me with, I now realised as the memory of the event came back to me, a clear intention to kill my child and cause a miscarriage. “Katniss...”

“No one...”

“You were hit, Katniss. You’ve got a bruise that’s easily eight inches long. I don’t know why you’re lying to me, but you need to stop and you need to tell me the truth.” I shook my head again, trying hard to fight the tears that were falling from my eyes, but I was too tired to win. Peeta let out a sigh as he wiped the tears from my cheeks, then he kissed my forehead again. “You’ve been very unwell, you need to rest... I’ll tell them not to bother you, but Katniss, I can only keep them off of you for so long. They’re not going to be as gentle as I am... If you wanna talk then let me know. I’m not going to leave your side, okay?” I didn’t respond, only cried instead and covered my eyes with my hand. I felt Peeta’s warm lips on my cheek again. “I love you, Katniss. Don’t ever forget that...”

“P-Peeta...” I said, reaching for his hand, which he took. “Wh-what... what’s gon...na... happen?”

“I don’t know... Try not to think about that right now. Get some rest. I’m gonna ask Agnessa to bring up some broth for you,” he told me.

“Can... can I... have... ch-cheese... buns?” I asked him hopefully, and he smiled warmly at me.

“I’ll get right on that,” he said, and he gave my forehead another kiss before he was out the door and I was left on my own.

Gosh, I was terrified. Snow was angry that I had lost this baby, but it wasn’t my fault. I couldn’t tell them that Gale was the one that did this to me, although I had a feeling that Peeta, at least, already knew, but if I wasn’t going to say anything, then neither was he. He had no way of knowing for sure that it was Gale who did this to me, to our child, and he wasn’t going to pin it on him, either.

A few days after I woke up, I was interrogated by the Capitol official, Ms. Romilda Stargazer, but I wouldn’t tell her either. I simply said that I didn’t know who did it, but that it was a man, and he had dark hair - pretty much like ninety percent of the population of District Twelve. Evidently, the mines had been closed that day due to the snow, which made narrowing down who did it even harder.

A week after I told Ms. Stargazer that I didn’t know who hit me, Peeta carried me down to the living room for a change of scenery. I was still extremely sore, and he was right about the bruise being very large and angry-looking, but I was so sick of staring at the walls and ceiling of our bedroom that all I wanted was to be in the living room. I got to watch Lark and Maevis play on the living room floor together while Peeta made dinner in the kitchen, playing with a couple of dollies and a dollhouse that Peeta’s brother, Christos, had made when Lark was born. Lark was trying to teach her little sister some words, but all Maevis could say was ‘Mama’, ‘Dada’ or ‘Lala’, which was what she called Lark.

“No,  _ dolly _ ,” Lark said to her sister.

“Lala!” Maevis replied. I chuckled as I watched my girls together, and then was startled by the abruptness of the television turning on.

“Peeta,” I called to my husband. “Is there a mandatory viewing tonight?”

“I don’t think so, why?” he asked, leaving the kitchen and walking into the living room just as the Capitol anthem began to play. The girls stopped playing with their dollies to watch the screen and Peeta stood in the doorframe to the foyer, wiping his hands on a rag, as the Capitol seal was replaced by the smug face of President Snow.

“Good evening, citizens of Panem. Do excuse this rather... sudden... broadcast, but I come to you bearing some  _ dreadful _ news. In the woods of District Twelve, our very own victor, Katniss Everdeen-Mellark... was attacked by a rebellious dissenter in an attempt to cause distress,” said President Snow on the television, and I felt my stomach drop. No... No, this couldn’t be... “Mrs. Mellark was, at the time of the attack, four months pregnant with her third child, but due to the attack, has now lost this child. The identity of this... attacker... is, unfortunately, unknown to us... but let it be known that he will be found, and will be  _ severely _ punished for his attempt to disrupt the peace that we have tried  _ so _ hard to maintain, and for the unnecessary loss of a life that he has caused. Reports say that she is faring well since the attack. Rest assured, Mrs. Mellark, that your... attacker... will be found and punished accordingly.” Snow was again replaced by the Capitol seal as the anthem played again, and then the television shut off.

I was breathing heavily now, knowing that this message wasn’t at all meant to reassure me of anything, it was to warn me. Snow knew who my attacker was, and I was suddenly terrified for Gale and his family. He’d called Gale a rebellious dissenter, which made the situation even worse. I could never hate Gale, no matter what he did to me - he saved my life by teaching me new ways to hunt, and how did I repay him? By losing his brother in the arena. I looked up at Peeta, panic in my eyes, but Peeta was still staring at the blank space on the wall where the television screen once was. “Peeta...” I whispered nervously, but he didn’t look at me.

“I’ll be back,” he said firmly, tossing down the rag onto the living room floor and ripping his apron off, tossing that aside too, and storming into the foyer to pull on his boots and coat.

“Peeta! Peeta, wait! Please, Peeta!  _ Peeta _ !” I cried desperately, struggling to get off the couch due to the pain in my abdomen, but I couldn’t get off fast enough, as I heard the front door open. “Where are you going? Peeta,  _ please _ !” The front door slammed shut and I watched out the window as Peeta stormed off towards the entrance to Victors’ Village, as well as in the direction of town and the Seam. I knew exactly where he was going - he was going to see Gale, and I was too weak and powerless to stop him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What’s going to happen now that Katniss is sure that Snow knows who really attacked her? What’s Peeta going to do when he gets to his destination?
> 
> Is a certain hunter/miner going to get the crap kicked out of him by our favourite baker? Keep reading to find out, and please review!


	23. One Step Ahead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peeta confronts Gale about his actions. Snow pulls out one final surprise for our star-crossed lovers.

* * *

**PEETA POV**

* * *

Damn right I was going to see Gale and I didn’t care if Katniss didn’t speak to me for weeks after this. Twice now, he’s hit her and gotten away with it unscathed, but I was about to change that. Katniss didn’t put up with this kind of shit from anyone so I had no idea why she let him bat her around like this - maybe she thought she owed him for all his help over the years with feeding her family? I’d never understand it. All I knew was that Gale Hawthorne was an asshole and he deserved no part of Katniss, not her heart, not her friendship, not even to be in the same damn room as her. Not only that, but he killed my child, a child that was both mine and wasn’t mine, that evidently ‘belonged to the Capitol’ according to that horrible Capitol official. She was pissed at me for not alerting the Capitol sooner - I’d called Effie two days after the incident, being more worried about keeping my wife alive than alerting the Capitol that they’d lost their next toy.

“We could have saved it if we had been alerted right away, Mr. Mellark,” I had been warned by that Capitol strumpet, Ms. Stargazer. Well, excuse me for being worried sick out of my mind and not thinking straight.

I went immediately to the home where I knew Gale was living with his wife, Leevy, and their son. Gale had married Leevy Turner in the first place because he’d gotten her pregnant, but she lost the baby. Their son was their second pregnancy. I knocked on the door, trying not to sound too brash so as not to frighten Leevy or their son, and Leevy answered the door. “Good evening, Leevy,” I said to her as kindly as I could.

“Good evening, Peeta. What brings you here?” she asked me, rather confused by my presence.

“I’d like to speak to your husband, please. Don’t tell him who it is,” I replied. She nodded, seeming to have some sort of understanding, and she went back inside. When Gale emerged a couple of minutes later, the first thing I did was slug the absolute shit out of his face, forcing him to stumble backwards and into the outer wall of the house.

“Who the fuck-” Gale said out of surprise, and as he held his hand to his now bloodied nose, he looked up and registered who his attacker was. 

“That’s for the hell you’ve put Katniss through, asshole!” I shouted at him as he reoriented himself, and he only smirked at me.

“She told you, huh?” he asked me.

“She didn’t have to. She didn’t say a word, actually. She didn’t openly tell me you hit her last year on the train platform, but I’m no idiot. I knew it was you. She didn’t tell me that you were the one that killed our child, either, but I know only one person jealous and angry enough to do such a horrible thing,” I hissed back at him. “For some _fucking_ reason, she’s protecting you, so you know what that means _I_ have to do?”

“Kick my ass and beat me to a pulp? Good luck with that, Mellark. I don’t care if you won the Games or were on the wrestling team-”

“It means I have to protect her, which in turn means I have to protect _you_.” He stared at me for a moment, then broke out into a laugh.

“The hell is wrong with you, Mellark?”

“I love Katniss more than anything in the world and I know it would tear her apart if anything happened to you or your family, so I’m telling you now that Snow knows. I don’t know how, but he knows it was you that attacked her. Even if it wasn’t you, he’d still go after you because you’re viewed as a threat to our image in the Capitol.”

“I thought your stupid little family wasn’t an act? That’s what Katniss always says.”

“It’s not, but we have to maintain a public persona and you’re a threat to that.”

“So what are you telling me to do?”

“Leave the district. Get out of here, fast. You’re a coal miner, it’ll be easy for Snow to arrange for an accident to happen. It’s not so easy for him to arrange an accident for your mother, but he can rig the reaping to reap your brother and sister. Gale, you have to take them and run. Head north.”

“Why north? There’s nothing out there.” I grabbed him by the arm and dragged him away from the house, stopping him in a big open area where there were no microphones.

“Head north and you'll run into District Thirteen in about a week. I’ll get word ahead so they know to look for you.”

“District Thirteen? Mellark, what the _hell_ are you talking about? District Thirteen was bombed years ago, it’s a nuclear wasteland!”

“Shh! Lower your fucking voice!” I hissed at him, then spoke in a hushed whisper. “District Thirteen was bombed, yes, but it’s not a nuclear wasteland. The people went underground and they’ve been thriving. Gale, District Thirteen has been plotting with various victors of other districts for years now... There’s going to be a rebellion.” Gale’s eyes went wide. I was risking a lot telling him all this, but I really needed him to trust me and believe me so that he could run while he still could.

“And you... You’re a part of it?”

“Yes, I’ve been an active participant for the last two years,” I told him.

“Does Katniss know?”

“No, and I’d like to keep it that way. She’s under a lot of pressure with Snow, I didn’t want to risk anything happening to her. But do you believe me now? You have to leave the district, you can’t stay here. It’s not safe, for you or your family.” The other man was silent for a moment as he contemplated my words.

“Why are you telling me all this?”

“Because unlike you, I’m not an asshole. Katniss would want you to run, so go. Don’t wait another minute. Leave tonight because I’m almost certain that tomorrow, things are going to change and you’re going to lose your chance to save yourself and your family.” He seemed hesitant to believe me, but he nodded.

“You must really love Katniss a lot...”

“I do,” I told him. I knew that if our roles were reversed - that if I were Gale and he were me, Gale would let me and my family be killed, but I could never do that. Not when I know enough to get him out. “Give me your word that you will leave tonight - the sooner, the better - and I’ll get word to Thirteen to look for you.”

“Thank you,” Gale told me, and then he was off. No apology for what he did to Katniss, no remorse for his actions, just a simple ‘thanks’ for the warning of the fate that awaited him if he stayed. I stalked back to my own home, my hands shoved into my pockets against the cold. I was still upset that Katniss wouldn’t tell me that it was Gale who attacked her, but I know exactly why she didn’t. She still cared for him, despite everything he’d done to her, and even though I was the one who had her heart, it still hurt just a little to know that he meant this much to her. When I finally got back to the Village, Haymitch’s rough voice startled me from my thoughts.

“Boy, what are you up to?” he called from the front of his house, causing me to jump. I let out an irritated huff.

“I wanted to do my own investigation into who attacked Katniss,” I lied.

“Any luck?” Haymitch asked, mostly for the microphones that were clearly listening - he knew, and my bloodied fist surely gave it away.

“No,” I replied. “Mind if I come in for a drink?” 

“C’mon in, and we’ll get that injury tended, too. What I tell you about punchin’ trees, boy?” Haymitch led me inside, and I grabbed an old notepad and scribbled a message on it to Haymitch.

_Tell Thirteen to expect a family in about a weeks’ time._

Haymitch raised an eyebrow at me, then scribbled back to me on the notepad while I took a long sip from the glass of white liquor he’d handed me.

 _Gale?_ was all his note had said, and I nodded. Haymitch tore the piece of paper up and angrily crumpled it up, then threw it in the middle of the flames in his hearth, watching the evidence burn up into ashes. When I finished my drink, I left Haymitch’s house and returned to my own, where Katniss was still waiting for me in the living room. She looked up at me as I walked into the foyer, but I didn’t say a word as I pulled off my coat and boots.

“Where did you go?” she asked after a minute of silence.

“For a walk, to clear my head,” I told her.

“Is... is everything okay?” she asked me, knowing very well where I was.

“Everything’s fine,” I told her, giving her a subtle smile. “It’s getting late, I’m gonna take the girls to bed. If you want to wait up, I can make us a couple of mugs of hot chocolate, otherwise I can carry you upstairs so you can get ready for bed.”

“I can wait,” she replied. I let her say goodnight to the girls before I led them upstairs and got them ready for bed, then I tucked them in and kissed them goodnight and rejoined my wife downstairs. She had moved to the hearth, stoking the fire to warm up the house, and I went into the kitchen to prepare two mugs of hot chocolate. I sat down beside her on the floor and passed her one, then took a sip from my own. “What are we going to do? Snow wanted us to have this baby...”

“Well... you heard the Capitol doctor that assessed you last week. No babies for a while... This isn’t your fault, Katniss. You didn’t do this. He can’t blame you for that,” I told her.

“He’s going to find some way to blame me, to punish us and then we’ll have to do something else terrible,” she whispered to me, then she set down her mug and crawled into my lap, wrapping her arms tightly around my neck.

“It’s gonna be okay,” I whispered into her ear. “I won’t let anything happen to you, or the girls... We’re going to get through this.”

“You keep saying that, but nothing about our situation is getting better. Everything’s gotten worse! Everything would have been so much easier if I had just swallowed those damn berries...”

“No, Katniss, don’t say that. That’s not true. I want to say that it would be easier if _I_ had swallowed them, but then I couldn’t be here to protect you...” If I hadn’t been here, Snow would have had her exploited like I had been, and I couldn’t have that.

“Then maybe it would have been easier if we’d both swallowed them...”

“Maybe,” I whispered back, kissing the side of her head. “But we didn’t, and we’re here... and we’ve got two beautiful daughters who will never know the horrors we’ve had to endure.”

“That might not last forever.” I knew for a fact that it wouldn’t last forever. I held Katniss in my arms until she fell asleep, and then I carried her up the stairs and tucked her into bed before I once again slipped out of the house to meet with Haymitch. We checked in with Gale, but he was already gone, and so was his mother, his surviving brother and his little sister. Leevy, on the other hand, opted to stay behind, refusing to leave, and Gale simply left her and his child behind.

In the following weeks, things in District Twelve became a lot stricter. At first, we thought the increase in peacekeepers and the constant electrification of the fence were meant for the Victory Tour, which would come in about a week’s time - the second week of the year 2163. Freya Deshannon of District Two arrived to give her speech to the people of District Twelve and we were to show her around the mines and the district. As we stood on the stage behind Freya, framed by the Justice Building, I saw her do something that I wish I had done now three years ago - she put down her cards.

“Odysseus was my half-brother,” she began. “I cared for him deeply, and he cared for your tribute, Lucy Greyson. I couldn’t blame him... she was charming, funny, and certainly very pretty, and the fact that Odysseus loved and trusted her enough to die for her told me that she deserved the sacrifice. I was willing to give up my life to bring her home, but I became distracted... and in turn, lost her. So I live my life for Lucy and Odysseus... Forbidden lovers in every right, who are now united in the stars above us. Her death won’t be in vain.” At Freya’s last words, she raised her hand in the District Twelve salute, a sign of respect that she had learned from Katniss in our own Games, soon to be four years ago, and soon, every hand in the crowd followed to mimic hers. Katniss glanced at me first, her eyes worried and fearsome, but behind the fear, I could see the flicker of rebellion starting to catch fire, and together, we raised our hands in salute.

Freya Deshannon was more than a Victor - she was a fighter and a rebellious dissenter, the very same that Snow had warned us about when Katniss was attacked in November. It became clear that Freya planned to use her victor status to ignite rebellion, something I only wished I had been brave enough to do. Didn't she have a family that she feared would suffer the consequences of her actions? Possibly not, if she did this so fearlessly. Snow would have to think of a creative way to get back at her, and he most certainly did. On the way to District Nine, Freya’s train derailed. Three mentors from District Two had accompanied her on her train - Milla Darwin, Reglin Grigg and Cyrus Tyranny - and two of them, Milla and Reglin, were killed in the derailment, along with their Capitol escort, while Cyrus was seriously injured. Freya, on the other hand, was never found, and the Victory Tour for the 77th Hunger Games was over, but Snow wasn’t done yet - Freya wasn’t the only victor with an aura of rebellion.

The first week of February, there was a mandatory viewing at six o’clock, and our little family gathered around the television - Lark, now mere days away from being three, and Maevis, now fourteen months old, sitting on our laps as we waited for the program. At six o’clock on the dot, the television screen popped up and as the Capitol seal spun on the screen, the anthem played, until it faded into a rather glorious scene similar to that of the reading of the card from the Quarter Quell.

“Citizens of Panem,” the president began as the applause began to die down. “This year will be the first centennial of the birth of Panem. Long ago, when the Old World perished in devastating storms, wars and viral pandemics... societies crumbled, and the world was thrust into chaos for many years. And then, in the year 2063, Panem rose from the ashes of the Old World and with it came the Capitol and the Districts. The Hunger Games are not as old as the glorious history of Panem, as the earliest days of Panem... are now referred to as the ‘Dark Days’. For many years, Panem struggled against itself, until, in the year 2085, the Panem we know today emerged victoriously, thus beginning the Hunger Games the following summer, in 2086. This year, the year of the 78th Hunger Games, in celebration of the first centennial of Panem... there will be a... special... Games, as the districts are, evidently, in need of yet another reminder of the sins of the past.” He smiled menacingly, seeming to stare right at us, as he raised a notecard, and his eyes shifted to it. “As a reminder... that even the strongest cannot overcome the power of the Capitol... on this, the 78th Hunger Games, the male and female tributes are to be reaped... from the existing pool of victors in each district.”

“No...” I heard myself whisper, my eyes wide with shock at what President Snow had just announced. I looked at Katniss, who sat with Maevis on her lap and her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide and glassy as tears threatened her eyes. She slowly turned her head to look at me, our eyes meeting. We knew what this meant - Snow had had enough of toying with us. We had outlived our usefulness, and now, he was going to get rid of us by throwing us back into the arena.

“Peeta...” she whispered behind her hand.

“Katniss... it... it’s gonna be okay...” I said, trying quickly to pull myself from my own shock before hers engulfed her.

“It wasn’t enough... Nothing was enough...” she said, turning her head to look back at the television screen, where Snow seemed to gloat at his victory over us, over Freya, over Finnick and Haymitch and Beetee and Glitter and every victor who had ever shown any deviation from what was expected of a victor from their district. I realised then that I knew exactly who I was going to see in the arena... I knew the names of victors who were in cahoots with District Thirteen, and I knew that Snow likely had a rough idea. This was personal, and Snow was going to get rid of his little problem in the most spectacular way possible - by killing as many rebellious victors as he possibly could in one spectacularly unheard of Hunger Games.

Katniss quickly set Maevis down on the couch and ran for the front door in her stockinged feet, and it took me a second to register what had happened before I, in my bare feet, had set Lark down and ran after her. “Katniss!” I called, ignoring the coldness of my feet as I ran after her. “Katniss, wait!” She was running towards the end of Victors’ Village, where a fence separated the cliff below. She collapsed on the ground and I fell to my knees beside her moments after she did, trying to pull her into my arms as she fought to pull away from me.

“We’ve done nothing! We’ve _failed!_ ” she cried when she finally stopped fighting and I had her by the wrists.

“This isn’t over yet, don’t give up now!” I said to her firmly, and she tried to pull away from me again, but I wouldn’t let her, instead pulling her into my arms and holding her tight against my chest as she sobbed into my shoulder.

“He’s going to kill us... Peeta, he’s not going to let either of us survive the arena. You know that! Our girls will have no one!” she cried.

“Shh, shh, no they won’t. You’re going to win and you’re going to come home and raise our daughters-”

“Absolutely not. _You’re_ going to win and _you’re_ going to come home and raise our daughters. Peeta, _you’re_ the one who deserves to live! I can’t give them the life and the love that you do!” I should have known this argument was coming.

“Katniss, I am not having this argument with you. You are their mother and they need you, they don’t need me. Nobody does, not my brothers or my parents or you.”

“You shut your fucking mouth right now.” She pulled herself from my arms and stood up, glaring up at me with fury in her eyes. “If you think for a second that I will stand here and let you sacrifice yourself for-” I stood up to now tower over her.

“If you think that _I_ am going to stand here and let you sacrifice yourself-”

“Peeta, _stop talking!_ Just _stop!”_

“You are getting out of that arena and you are going to raise our children and I will not take no for an answer-”

“Will the two of you SHUT UP!” A loud and gruff voice startled the both of us into silence and we looked up to see Haymitch, who must have stumbled out of the house when he heard us yelling at each other. “I’ll make a decision for ya both right fuckin’ now. The girl’s gotta go in the arena no matter what, we ain’t got another female victor. But we got two male victors, so _I’m_ goin’ into the arena, gettin’ sweetheart here out and then you _both_ can live your long happy lives raisin’ your damn kids together. Happy now? Now shut the fuck up and let a man have some peace with his drink!”

We both stared at Haymitch as he sauntered off, and when he was back in his house, I turned to look at Katniss, who was still staring off in Haymitch’s direction. “I don’t wanna fight... not tonight,” I told her, and she turned to look at me. “I love you more than anything in the whole world, Katniss... and now... who knows how much time we have left together...”

“I love you, too,” she whispered to me, tears threatening her eyes. “I just... I just wish we’d had more time...”

“I know, baby,” I whispered to her, pulling her into my arms and holding her tightly. “Let’s not think about this anymore... Let’s go back home to our daughters - who, by the way, we left unsupervised on the couch - and spend as much time as we can making sure they know how loved they are.” Before I could lead her back to our home, Katniss grabbed my face in both of her hands and fiercely pressed her lips against mine, kissing me with a hunger that I knew she’d demand I satisfy later that evening.

I wasn’t going to let Haymitch volunteer for me to go into the arena, and I wasn’t going to let him even go in with Katniss. There was no way I could trust him to protect her the way that I could. He was older, weaker, and wrecked by alcoholism and that wouldn’t benefit him in the arena at all. Of course, if he volunteered for me, realistically, I knew I couldn’t stop him, but I’d speak to him about that later. Snow gave us plenty of time to talk. In his efforts to exercise his power and instill fear in all those involved in the rebellion, he made one very grave mistake: he gave us time to plan an uprising.

Finally, for the first time, we were one step ahead of Snow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How will the rebels plot an uprising with Snow so closely watching them? Did Gale make it to District Thirteen?
> 
> Please review!


	24. The Seedling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The reaping for the 78th Hunger Games commences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all so I’ve ultimately decided to split this story into two parts for a couple of reasons, one being this one is already very long and it’ll likely make me hold back on future chapters, so I can prevent that by putting the next part in its own story.
> 
> As a result of that decision, I’m also going to remove this from the ‘Our Anthem Universe’ series and put it in its own ‘For Their Future’ series, since this isn’t exactly in the ‘Our Anthem’ universe anymore - the only thing the two stories have in common now is Katniss’s backstory and some of the characters.
> 
> So there you have it! This story is going to come to an end very soon and will shortly be followed by part two! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

**KATNISS POV**

* * *

In the weeks following the announcement of these special Panem Centennial Hunger Games, Peeta’s personality seemed to shift from my loving and doting husband to my own personal trainer. He insisted that if we trained for the arena - all three of us, including Haymitch - then we’d have better chances of winning, and he was quite the whip-cracker about it, too. He made us do laps around the Village every day, he made us form an exercise routine and change our diets, and he even seriously limited Haymitch’s liquor supply. In early March, Haymitch and I stood huffing and puffing as we tried to catch our breath after Peeta had us run fifteen laps around the Village.

“I’m gonna kill that boy before he even gets a chance to get in that arena,” Haymitch hissed with frustration.

“He’s not going into the arena at all, Haymitch, so you’d better step up or you’ll be one of the first to go,” I told him. I didn’t directly ask Haymitch to go into the arena in place of Peeta, but I did make a point that we had two young children and one of us (me) had no choice but to go in the arena simply because of circumstances.

“No time for stopping. Let’s go!” Peeta barked at us when he passed us again.

“Keep barking orders at me and you’re not getting laid tonight,” I spat at him, and Haymitch snorted.

“That’s a threat if I’ve ever heard one,” he said. Now with the fence electrified twenty four/seven and the peacekeeper count increased, we spent almost all of our time exclusively in the Village, Peeta not even going down to the bakery as often as he used to. We were surprised one day on a Sunday by Peeta’s parents showing up on our doorstep claiming they hadn’t seen Peeta in over two weeks now.

“He’s been very focused on this... well... the Games situation,” I told them when I invited them into the house for tea. Peeta had gone out for an early morning walk, which I wouldn’t join him for, and I was alone in the house with my two daughters and now Peeta’s parents, who were holding their granddaughters on their lap, Maevis in Mellie’s lap and Lark in Caseo’s.

“Goodness, this house is a mess. Have either of you had any time to clean it?” Mellie had asked me, referring to the mess in the living room. Honestly, I couldn’t even be mad, because I was almost constantly tired thanks to Peeta’s rigorous training routine and raising two children didn’t make that any easier. “I think I’ll stay for a little bit and help you two out.”

“Peeta’s not going to want to impose,” I began, but she waved her hand in the air to brush me off.

“I insist. You two shouldn’t have to live in squalor because my son has decided constant training is more important than living normally,” Mellie replied.

“He means well, Mells,” Caseo said, and then he turned to me. “I’ll have a talk with him, see if I can get him to cut you some slack. And that mentor of yours, too, Mr. Abernathy. He isn’t looking so well.”

“Going through withdrawal, probably. Peeta cut his liquor supply,” I told my father-in-law. Not long after, when Mellie had started to put the house back together and Caseo sat in the living room to play with his granddaughters, Peeta came home through the kitchen door, pausing as he watched me wash the dishes.

“Have a good walk?” I asked him as he crossed the room to kiss my cheek.

“Little brisk but yeah, good walk,” he said, picking up the wet dishes I had set on the counter and drying them with a towel. “I stopped by the bakery to see my parents, but they weren’t there.”

“That’s because they’re in the living room wondering where you’ve been for the last two weeks,” I told him, and his eyes widened a little. “Go on, I’ll finish up here.” Leaving me in the kitchen while I washed the last couple of dishes, I shut the water off to dry the remaining wet dishes and listened to Peeta interact with his parents.

“Mom, Dad, I... I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were coming today,” I heard Peeta say to his parents once he’d entered the living room.

“We came to make sure you were all right, Peet. You haven’t been around much and we were worried,” I heard his father tell him. “On that note, we need to have a talk, son.”

“A talk? Okay... Mom, you don’t have to do any of that,” Peeta said, now addressing his mother.

“Poor Katniss is tired out from all the work she has to do on top of being a mother, so I’m going to come around more often and help you out around the house,” Mellie told him. I heard something muffled, then I heard two heavy sets of footsteps approach the kitchen and pass through, then I watched as the two Mellark men stepped outside through the kitchen door to discuss Peeta’s ridiculous training plan. About an hour later, I was upstairs changing Maevis when I felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around me from behind.

“I’m sorry... I didn’t realise the toll all this was taking on you,” Peeta told me, resting his chin on my shoulder. “I’ll cut back a bit... but we still need to train at least a few days a week.”

“That’s fine, it’s much better than all seven days a bloody week,” I told my husband, securing Maevis’s diaper and turning in Peeta’s arms to kiss his chin. “Your daughters miss you, you know.” Peeta smiled down at Maevis and picked her up from the changing table, holding her on his hip and kissing her little cheek, framed by chocolate brown hair.

“Daddy’s sorry, sweetie-pie! I’ll make it up to you, I promise,” he told his younger daughter, who giggled when he kissed her cheek again.

On a more serious note, ever since Freya’s Victory Tour, things in District Twelve have gotten a lot harsher. Our old head peacekeeper, Cray, who never seemed to care about what the people did, was replaced by a much harsher man from District Two called Romulus Thread, and he implemented a very strict curfew and harshly punished crimes that had long been forgotten. There were floggings and hangings almost daily in the square, in direct view of the bakery, something Mellie commented on during one of her visits.

Winter turned into spring, and I hadn’t seen nor heard anything from Gale at all. Not even about him. I had wondered what was going to happen after the attack in November, but the only thing that came from it, really, was the increased security and constant electrification of the fence. Poachers couldn’t go out to hunt and, once again, people were dropping dead in the streets from starvation. Children looked skinnier, mothers looked more gaunt, infant deaths increased and so did the demand for tesserae. There was such an influx of tesserae sign-ups that the district couldn’t keep up, and shipments that did arrive were old, mouldy and ruined.

“There’s something going on in the other districts,” Peeta said to me one day when we were having our own little picnic with the girls in the centre of the Village. “Why else would food be arriving spoiled? They can’t keep up with demand anymore.”

“No one would be foolish enough to rebel. The Capitol would sooner just bomb the rebelling district again,” I told him, referring to the fate of District Thirteen.

“They could always... move underground,” Peeta told me, glancing at me out of the side of his eye.

“I guess, but what would be the point? What’s the point in anything anymore?” I asked him.

“Fighting for freedom... Fighting for the future generation...” It was my turn to glance at Peeta, who seemed to be holding something back. “Think about it,” he said after a moment. “Not a single thing you’ve done in the last eight years has been about you... it’s been about Prim, or Lark and Maevis... even the tributes we lost in the arena.”

“Well, that’s how it always is, isn’t it? We don’t fight for ourselves, we fight for our children. It’s never been about fighting for the present, not when so many of us might never live to see the future. But our children might, and so will theirs, and maybe someday, they won’t know the horrors that we do,” I replied, and Peeta’s gaze softened as he met mine.

“Exactly,” he whispered. Suddenly, I gave thought to my own words. It didn’t matter what I did now, I was going to die in the arena, and maybe Peeta would, too, and then our children would have no one to protect them, but I didn’t have to sit back and cry while the world burned around me. The fire and smoke would kill me before I could put the flames out, but every little bit counts, doesn’t it? I decided then that I wasn’t going to bow down to Snow anymore; I was already damned if I did and damned if I didn’t, and so was my family. So when Effie arrived a couple of days before the reaping, I told her that Lark and Maevis would be staying behind and that I would not be bringing them to the Capitol.

Saying goodbye to them was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I thought I would never see them again, and on the morning of the reaping, before Peeta woke up, I went into their room to talk to them. “I want you both to know that... that Mummy loves you more than anything in the world, okay?” I said to my girls, holding them both in my arms tightly. “I need you to be good girls, okay? For Daddy...”

“Where going, Mama?” Lark asked me, looking up at me with her beautiful grey eyes.

“Mummy has to... go away... for a long time... But I’ll always be with you. You’ll never forget how much your Mummy loves you, will you, _mo chaileagan?_ ” I asked my daughters, and Lark shook her head.

“No, Mama,” she said, and I smiled down at her and kissed the top of her head, then kissed the top of Maevis’s head.

“I love you both so much... Don’t ever forget me, and be strong for Daddy. He loves you so much...” I sat with them in silence just for a little bit longer until I started hearing movement come from the other bedroom, meaning that Peeta was awake. “Let’s go see Daddy, yeah?”

Our prep teams arrived not long after and when I told them that they wouldn’t be prepping Lark and Maevis, they were quite surprised. “But we’re under orders!” Octavia exclaimed.

“And I’m choosing to defy them,” I replied, somewhat harshly. As expected, my prep team took much longer with me than they did with Peeta, so this gave Peeta his moment to say goodbye to the girls. I was certain he was convinced that this would be his final goodbye to them, but I would ensure that Peeta would return home to them. I came downstairs at a tender moment, between a doting, loving father and his two beautiful daughters, and I felt myself tear up at the scene. This would be the last time I would ever get to see Peeta with our children, and the thought broke my heart. Not wanting them to see me cry, I put on a smile, and then joined my little family on the floor as the four of us held onto each other. Soon, we would only be three, but someday, Peeta would find someone to complete this little family again. I hoped she would love my girls as much as I do, and I hoped that she would make Peeta the happiest man on earth.

The three of us - myself, Peeta and Haymitch - were escorted to the Justice Building by four peacekeepers, all of them armed with loaded guns. The people of the district were corralled into a roped-off area to watch as their victors were sent off to yet another arena, likely to die at the hands of victors from other districts. Onstage, Effie looked solemn as she stood between us, two big glass balls on either side of her, both of them looking empty from a distance, with three names between them. The world had gone silent as I stood on that stage, barely hearing my own name being uttered into the microphone, heartbreak dripping from the voice of the person who said it. My hearing came back as I heard the second name being called. “Haymitch Abernathy,” said Effie, and my eyes widened and I let out a gasp, barely getting a chance to register my shock before Peeta’s words came tumbling out:

“I volunteer as tribute.”

“No!” I cried, clamping my hand over my mouth and watching as Haymitch tried to stop him, but to no avail. Peeta had volunteered, and he was going to go into the arena, same as I was. A small part of me had hoped, although it shames me to admit it, that Haymitch would go into the arena with me to die so that I could come back home to Peeta, but I should have known that Peeta wouldn’t allow that to happen. It was clear that Effie was heartbroken for us both as we stood on either side of her, staring out into the crowd of our home district, getting one final glimpse of the only world we had ever known. My eyes fell to Prim and Agnessa, who stood beside Mellie, Caseo, Christos, Aaricia, their toddler son, Barley, and Rye. Prim was holding Lark and Mellie was holding Maevis, and then Prim did something I hadn’t expected: she raised her left hand, her middle three fingers erect with her little finger and her thumb crossing her palm - the District Twelve salute. She was soon followed by Agnessa, and then Caseo and Mellie, Christos, Aaricia, Rye, Leevy, Madge, Delly Cartwright, and soon, all of District Twelve was saluting us. Even Lark had her three fingers in the air, and I think then that she had some sort of understanding of exactly what was going to happen to her parents, because her silvery eyes met mine and suddenly, they were so much older than the eyes of a three-year-old. And soon, Peeta and I were raising our hands in the salute, too.

Before this display of rebellion could be carried on further, the peacekeepers that were guarding the stage grabbed us and began to drag us back into the Justice Building. “Wait, wait! Don’t we get to say goodbye?” I demanded of the peacekeepers.

“We have direct orders, it’s straight to the train for you,” said one of them rather angrily.

“No! Wait!” I shouted, then I looked over my shoulder one final time, at my cousin and aunt, at my mother and father-in-law, at my two brothers-in-law and my sister-in-law, and finally, at my two daughters. “Goodbye!” I shouted to them all before they disappeared from my sight. We were then thrust upon the train, and as soon as Effie, Haymitch, Peeta and myself were all aboard, in addition to whatever peacekeepers were required to be on in order to keep us in line, the train began to pull away from the station. Then, I turned on Peeta. “What the _hell_ is wrong with you?” I yelled at him, shoving him away from me by putting my palms on his chest and pushing him. “You had a chance to be safe! You could have been safe! I could have come back to you, you goddamn asshole!”

“I told you, you’re not going into that arena without me!” Peeta shouted back, catching himself before he fell.

“I would have been just fine! _I’m_ the one that got us out last time! I could have done it again, and then I could have gone home to you!” I spat back, angry and emotional tears streaming down my cheeks. “We could have both lived...”

“It’s too late for that now... I’m going to get you out of the arena and you’re going to go home to our daughters and everything is going to be okay,” he told me, but that only made me angrier. He moved to pull me into his arms but I stormed away from him, unable to even look at him in that moment. I went to the room that was supposed to be mine and slammed the door shut, wanting more than anything to be left alone.

What had my life come to? It didn’t matter what I did, I was going to die anyway, and maybe Peeta would die, too, leaving our daughters with no protection. Whoever the other tributes were... they were likely strong. Johanna Mason would be a definite tribute from District Seven since she, like me, was the only female victor from her district. Chaff Lemell from District Eleven would be a tribute, too, being the only male victor from his district, but the rest could be anyone. There were so many victors from District Two, many of them violent and aggressive, and there were a lot from District One, too. District Five, surprisingly, had quite a few as well, but who knew if they’d get lucky again. Oh, what did it matter? What did anything matter? I had failed, and now my children were going to be left with no one but Prim and Agnessa and Peeta’s family to care for them. I suppose that was a lot of people, but not one of them would sacrifice the things that Peeta and I had for our daughters. With Peeta and I gone, Snow would likely reap them. Perhaps this was why he was doing this... He could go back on his end of our bargain if both Peeta and I were dead.

* * *

**PEETA POV**

* * *

If Katniss was angry, I was furious. Furious that she didn’t have a choice in the matter, she was going into the arena no matter what. Maybe if Lucy had won the Games last year, Katniss wouldn’t be going into the arena, and then we’d be safe and able to raise our family together. Oh, what was I thinking? Selfish thoughts, that’s for damn sure. I wanted so badly for Katniss and I to live a relatively normal life together with our family, but I couldn’t ask others to sacrifice themselves for us, hence why I volunteered when Haymitch’s name was called.

When Katniss stormed off to be alone, I sought out Haymitch, who was in his own room nursing a bottle of liquor. He looked up at me when I entered his room, then reached into his pocket and pulled out his microphone blocker, pressing the button. “The trains have their own built-in blockers, thanks to District Three’s and Six’s efforts when they designed these things, but it can’t hurt to be safe,” he explained, and then he let out a sigh. “I’m sorry, kid.”

“For what?” I asked him.

“That this is happenin’. That you and the girl are bein’ thrown back into this shit,” Haymitch replied.

“It doesn’t matter, does it? Not with the plan.”

“Lot of things can go wrong in three days, boy.”

“Well, they won’t. I’ll make sure of it. That’s why I’m in the arena and you aren’t.” A moment of silence passed between us. “Who else is in?”

“The Games? Or in on the plan?”

“Both, I guess.”

“On our side, Beetee and Wiress are goin’ in for Three, Finnick and Mags are goin’ in for Four, Lily and John for Six, Johanna and Blithe for Seven, not that they had any choice bein’ the only victors from Seven, and Chaff and Seeder for Eleven.”

“I thought Five was in on it, too?”

“Just Odeon Avisdee, but we need him on the outside, so he ain’t goin’ into the arena.”

“Why’s Mags going in? Aren’t there plenty of other female victors from District Four?”

“It’s for the idea of it. Imagine puttin’ an old, frail woman with no chance of winnin’ the Games back into the arena sixty-seven years after she won her Games. The woman’s older than Games themselves.”

“Is she?” Haymitch nodded.

“Besides Snow himself, she’s the only person I know still alive who was born before the Games started, durin’ the Dark Days. Don’t think she remembers much, though. She’s eighty-three years old.” He took a sip from his flask. “Anyway, the plan’s bein’ set in motion. Stay alive, keep the girl alive, and don’t let her forget who the real enemy is.” I nodded, and after a few more words, I left Haymitch’s room to sit in one of the cars of the train.

A plan for rebellion was underway. Our plan was to destroy the arena and get whatever pro-rebellion victors who were still alive out and to District Thirteen, where a rebellion could really be planned and executed. Alpha was getting antsy for an end to Snow’s regime, and she made a claim that she hated him more than anyone alive, but I’d have to disagree. Snow didn’t make her sleep with people who quite literally bought their way into victors’ beds, he didn’t use her children as a bargaining chip to keep her in line, and he didn’t throw her into two arenas. If this plan worked - which it would, as I wouldn’t accept failure - then both Katniss and I should be getting out of the arena together. I contemplated if I should tell her or not, but at this point, things were very complicated. If she knew, would she be angry? Would she refuse to comply? Haymitch seemed to think her too emotional to handle the news, and I knew otherwise, but I ultimately decided to just keep it a secret and I’d face the consequences later.

After a while, I got up and went to Katniss’s room, wondering if I should knock on the door, but ultimately deciding to simply try the doorknob. It opened, so I quietly pushed the door open and poked my head into the now darkened room. Katniss was lying on the bed, her back to me, so I slipped in and silently made my way over to the bed, wondering if I should speak to her or just crawl in beside her. I crawled onto the bed and curled myself up against her, holding her back tightly against my chest and burying my lips in her hair; she didn’t move, but I knew she was awake. “I don’t want to fight anymore,” I whispered to her quietly. “It’s too late to change anything now... We don’t have a lot of time together, and I don’t want to spend a single second of it with us upset with each other.”

“You shouldn’t be upset with me at all,” she said to me, her voice hoarse from crying.

“I should be because you plan on dying for me in that arena, which isn’t happening,” I reminded her. “But nevermind that right now... I just want to hold you, Katniss.”

“I can’t even comprehend the thought of losing you,” she told me. “I can’t live without you, Peeta. I just can’t. I mean physically, sure, but I don’t _want_ to. If you don’t leave that arena... neither will I.”

“Don’t you dare even think about doing anything if I die.”

“You can’t stop me if you’re dead.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to keep myself alive until the very end.”

“Until you leave the arena.”

“I don’t want to talk about this.” I sat myself up and shifted her onto her back, silencing her with a kiss on her lips. At first, she wanted to protest, but then she joined me in the kiss, parting her lips and allowing my tongue access to her mouth. Her hand snaked its way up into my hair and grasped at my honey golden curls, as if she just couldn’t get enough, and her other hand gripped my shoulder very tightly. Suddenly, I broke the kiss and rested my forehead against hers, breathing in her scent of lavender and pine. “I love you much...”

“I love you, too... That’s why I can’t-” I quickly silenced her with another kiss. I refused to talk about this anymore, not tonight. For now, all I wanted was to show her how much I loved her in the way that only I could, that only I was allowed and wanted by her. Beneath me, I could feel her parting her legs and I could already feel the heat of her core between the four layers of clothing between us, and that only made my pants tighter. My fingers found their way to the hem of her shirt and pushed it up just a little to expose the skin of her stomach and she finished the job for me by breaking our kiss momentarily to pull her shirt off over her head, resuming the kiss and starting to unbutton my shirt to slide off my shoulders. Now all that lay between our two bare chests was her bra, which I skillfully unclasped, sliding it off of her shoulders and tossing the offending garment aside. My lips then moved to her neck while her hands searched my chest, tangling her fingers in the fair hairs that grew on my chest before they moved back up to the hair on my head. My lips made a trail from her neck down to her chest, and then they found the puckering nipple of her left breast and wrapped around it. “Oh, Peeta...” she moaned, egging me on, and my tongue flicked out over it.

She moaned willingly, arching her back and pressing her breast into my mouth, begging for more. I obliged, licking and sucking until she tugged on my hair demanding equal treatment for her other breast. When I finished lavishing her breasts, I continued my trail of kisses down her stomach until I ran into the waist of her pants, undoing the button and sliding them down her legs. When my eyes took note of the wet spot on her underwear that told of her arousal, I glanced up at her and smirked, waiting for her to beg me to go on. “What are you waiting for?” she asked me, now frustrated that I had stopped.

“Permission,” I told her, running a finger up her folds through the fabric, giving her little bean a gentle flick, and she groaned.

“ _Take them off!_ ” she hissed at me, and I chuckled.

“Happily,” I replied, and I hooked my thumbs in the waistband of her underwear and tugged them down, revealing her most intimate spot to me. “You are positively _dripping_.”

“Do something about it, then, won’t you?” she demanded.

“That’s not a very romantic way to speak to your lover,” I replied, teasing her again by running a finger up her folds.

“Mmm... Don’t tease me, Peeta. Not tonight, please,” she asked me, her time serious.

“Very well, we’ve got plenty of time for that.” I gave her a smile, which she returned as she reached down to brush a stand of hair out of my eyes, and then I lowered my mouth to her most intimate spot and lavished her. She writhed and moaned beneath me, her hands gripping my hair tightly and tugging as she moaned my name over and over again, neither of us caring how loud we were being.

“Peeta... Peeta... I’m gonna... _Peeta!_ ” she cried out, letting her release take over her and feeling her fluids coat the lower part of my face. While she rode out this release, I continued to lick and suck and tease her with my tongue until she relaxed into a boneless mass on the bed, and then I crawled back up to kiss her on her mouth.

“You taste delicious,” I told her. “I’m gonna miss that...”

“I thought you didn’t want to talk like that,” she asked me.

“I don’t, but I still think you taste incredible.” I kissed her again to allow her to taste herself on me.

“Peeta,” she whispered after a moment. “I need you... Will you take me?”

“Of course I will,” I whispered back. I sat up to unbutton my own pants, pulling them and my boxers down in one single tug to free myself from their confines. I then climbed back on top of my wife and lined myself up at her entrance, meeting her eyes, and then began to push into her. Her face scrunched up and her fingers gripped my shoulders as I sheathed myself inside of her, and after giving her a moment to adjust, I began to rock my hips back and forth. She let out a groan, matched by my own throaty moan as I buried my face in her neck, my lips sucking and nipping at her throat.

“Peeta...” Katniss moaned my name, her hands gripping my hair as we moved together. “Oh, God, Peeta, I love you...”

“I love you, baby,” I whispered back to her. I could feel my own release building, but I needed her to come with me, so with one of my hands, I reached down to rub tiny circles on her little bean and then together, wrapped up in each other’s arms coated in sweat and sex, we came together uttering each other’s names into the night. I felt her hand brush the hairs off of my sticky, sweat-covered forehead as I laid my head on her chest, listening to her heartbeat.

“I want to do this all night, every night until the Games,” Katniss muttered to me, and I couldn’t hide my satisfied chuckle.

“We’ve got to sleep at some point,” I replied cheekily.

“Then we can make love until we fall asleep,” she replied, holding me against her chest. I certainly wasn’t opposed to that at all, so I initiated round two.

The following morning, with Effie refusing to meet our eyes, we watched the recap of the reaping, Katniss nestled comfortably on my lap with my arms around her. The tributes who were reaped for District One were Glitter Pash, 73rd Games, and Aristotle Archer, 63rd Games, but Gloss, 61st Games, and Cashmere Horne, 65th Games, ‘gallantly’ volunteered in their place, raising their proud fists high in victory as if it was an honour to die for the entertainment of rich people who would never see them as their equals.

The reaped District Two tributes were Nova Teller, who by now was in her sixties and had won the 36th Games, and Lenerok Kifflin, 48th Games, but their status as tributes was usurped by Brutus Athens, 52nd Games, and Enobaria Heller, 62nd Games. Enobaria had shaved her teeth to look like sharks’ teeth so she could ‘rip people’s throats out’, according to Haymitch. I was not looking forward to facing her in the arena, even though I knew that, with our plan, she wouldn’t stand a chance.

The District Three tributes were Beetee Latier, 40th Games, and Wiress Maslow, victor of the 46th Games and the only female tribute from Three - they were the masterminds behind the idea of blowing up the arena.

The District Four tributes were, Finnick Odair, of course, and originally, Annie Cresta, 70th Games, but their mentor, Mags Flanagan, 11th Games, silently raised her hand to volunteer in place of Annie, whom she knew could not mentally handle another Games, in addition to the image. Finnick, on the other hand, was our ally, but Katniss didn’t know this and simply thought he was nothing but a peacock.

The District Five tributes were Eddie Barker, 43rd Games, and originally, Delectra Altra, but Imogene Walker, 67th Games, volunteered in Delectra’s place.

The District Six tributes were Lily Taupe, 58th Games, and John Sellers, 69th Games. Both had won their Games by hiding out in the arena and waiting for everyone else to die, and both were absolutely fried on morphing, but, or so I’ve heard, both were excellent painters. I’d had a couple of conversations with Lily about painting, and I didn’t like that everyone simply referred to them as ‘the morphlings’ - they were people, too, they were just addicted to morphling.

The District Seven tributes were the only two surviving tributes from District Seven, Blight Duluth, 51st Games, and Johanna Mason, 71st Games. They, too, were my allies and would help us carry out the plan to blow up the arena and escape.

The District Eight tributes were Woof Darwin, 28th Games and only male victor of the Games from District Eight, and Cecelia Ember, 60th Games. It was sad to watch her say goodbye to her children, and a small part of me was jealous that she got to peacefully say goodbye without being rushed onto the train. It was almost like they just couldn’t wait to get us out of District Twelve.

The District Nine tributes were Benedict Albion, 56th Games, and Lalla Addison, 42nd Games. District Nine, who was relatively left alone by the Capitol, could not be convinced to join the rebellion, but they agreed to keep their silence so long as we left them alone.

The District Ten tributes were, originally, Rufus Ripley, 44th Games, but Rodney Fuller, 72nd Games, volunteered for his mentor. The female tribute was the only female tribute from District Ten, Shelley Dunn, 66th Games - like Katniss and Johanna, she didn’t have a choice in the matter.

The District Eleven tributes were Chaff Lemell, 45th Games, and originally, Cytherea Lewes, 54th Games, but Cytherea’s mentor, Seeder Palmer, 33rd Games, volunteered in her place.

And then there was us, Katniss and myself, victors of the 74th Hunger Games. The district salute was not broadcast, and neither was us being rushed into the train. In fact, the broadcast cut out rather abruptly, suggesting that they were in a hurry for something, but there wasn’t time to think about that. I had to come up with a fake strategy for Katniss to throw her off, and I also had to think of how the hell I was going to explain myself when she inevitably found out about all of this. It would be quite obvious that a rebellion was happening when Katniss was pulled from the arena, and knowing her, she was going to be pissed.

While we were destroying the arena, a team from Thirteen made up of Gamma, Epsilon, Zeta, Eta and Gale would make their way to Twelve and at least evacuate mine and Katniss’s families, and our two daughters. Yes, Gale did make it to Thirteen; I knew this months ago, but of course, I couldn’t tell Katniss. Honestly, after what he did, I didn’t want to tell her. I didn’t want to help him at all, but I love Katniss more than my pride, and once we were safe in Thirteen, I’d give him what he had coming to him, consequences be damned. But I still had at least another week before I could make that happen.

Yes, everything was falling into place. The plan was made, so now all we had to do was execute it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will the plans for the escape come to fruition? Why were Katniss and Peeta rushed out of District Twelve so quickly?
> 
> Please review! I take every comment and review into consideration!


	25. The Panem Centennial Hunger Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Panem Centennial Hunger Games begin.

* * *

**KATNISS POV**

* * *

The week before the Games went by in such a blur, I barely remember it. A majority of the week was spent talking about the other tributes and how they won their Games, or we spent our time in training. I was told by Haymitch to try and win myself allies to ‘better my chances of winning’, but I didn’t want to win. I hated the idea that, over the last three years, the few people in the world that knew what it was like to endure the horrors of the Capitol and the Hunger Games that had become some definition of ‘friend’ would become my targets in just a few short days. By 2163, there were a total of fifty-one victors still living - half of those victors had been sent into the arena again, and by the end of the 78th Games, there would only be twenty-eight left. One of them would be Peeta.

Before training and alliances, however, was the tribute parade. We were prepped and dressed, this time, I was wearing a rather mature-looking black dress that showed quite a bit of cleavage that normally wasn’t there, but the dress was pushing my breasts up. My hair was curled and in a half up, half down style, and, once again, there would be flames bursting from my dress. For once, I was the one waiting on Peeta to finish with his prep team, so while I waited, I decided to pet the horse. Poor lad, he was.

“Katniss Everdeen Mellark,” I heard a familiar peacocky voice say with a mocking tone, and I rolled my eyes before I turned to face it’s owner. Finnick Odair was standing before me, bronzed and golden and glowing, wearing nothing but a strategically-tied knotted rope. I raised my eyebrows in mock surprise.

“Finnick Odair,” I replied. “That’s quite an outfit. I’d love to borrow it sometime.”

“Peeta would like that, wouldn’t he?” said Finnick, clearly teasing me. He popped a small white object in his mouth, then offered one to me. “Sugar cube?”

“No thanks, I’m sweet enough,” I replied, turning back to the horse.

“I see that,” he replied. “They’re meant for the horses, but... they’ve got the rest of their lives to live, but you and I? We’ve got days. Better grab something sweet while we can, right?”

“Is that a euphemism for your string of lovers?” I asked him, irritated with his presence, and he chuckled.

“Could be, or it could be a euphemism for you and Peeta. Haymitch says he barely slept on the train due to... noisy neighbours.”

“Noisy neighbours or a nosy mentor? Either way, it doesn’t matter what you’ve heard. We’re married, we’re allowed a good shag.” I crossed my arms over my chest, irritated with his stupid bemused grin.

“You certainly pack some heat, Girl on Fire. By the way, I really am sorry about your baby. I can’t imagine that that had been very pleasant.”

“Thank you,” I said, making it clear that I didn’t want to talk about that. I hadn’t even had the chance to mourn the loss of my child, but truthfully, I didn’t know how. Yes, I was sad... That little boy was still going to be my son, even if Snow had forced him on me, and I wouldn’t have loved him any less, but it felt... strange... to mourn him. I had two living children whose lives I feared for every day, who were constantly being threatened by Snow. I suppose I had neither the time nor the energy to mourn the loss of a child I hardly knew. But I still think about him, sometimes. I think about which of us he would have looked like, and I think about what he would have sounded like or what he would have liked to do. Despite the Capitol naming contest, Peeta had wanted to name him after one of my brothers, but I didn’t like the idea of naming a child after someone who had died. To me, it felt like giving him expectations that he would have had to live up to, so we settled on a name that reminded us both of home - Oleander, which meant ‘evergreen tree’. Of course, his real legal name would have been some stupid Capitol name, but we’d call him Oleander or Ollie at home.

“Katniss?” I heard Finnick say, and I snapped back to reality, not having realised I’d spaced out. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I... Just... thinking... Sorry, what did you ask me?” I asked him.

“I asked where your two beautiful girls are today,” Finnick replied.

“Safe at home, far away from here,” I told him. At that moment, we both saw Peeta finally appear, flanked by Haymitch and Portia.

“Guess I’d better go, don’t want to give your dear husband any reason to give me a black eye,” said Finnick, turning just as Peeta approached the pair of us. “Peeta.”

“Finnick,” Peeta replied, and once Finnick was out of earshot, he asked me, “What’d he want?”

“I’m not really sure,” I replied, my eyes wide as I took in his appearance. He looked so handsome - and so _sexy_ \- in that dark sleeveless black vest and skintight pants. I bit my lower lip as I took on his appearance, then placed my hands on his muscular arms and slid them up to his shoulders. “You are positively _gorgeous_ in this outfit. I can’t wait to rip it off of you.” He smiled and chuckled, then put his hands on my waist.

“You have no idea how much restraint it is taking to _not_ get an erection from looking at you right now,” he whispered into my ear, and I turned a furious shade of pink. The sound of a throat clearing I interrupted us and we both turned to look at Cinna.

“Right, this year, the stakes are different. You’re angry, so make sure you both look like this is the last place you’d rather be. And don’t forget to turn your flames on,” he instructed us.

“That sounds easy enough,” Peeta replied.

“Good, because you should be. All this shouldn’t be happening, especially to you two,” Cinna told him. He and Peeta exchanged a knowing glance, and I raised an eyebrow at this interaction, but I didn’t have time to question it before we were ushered onto the chariot. As it began to move, Peeta turned his head to look at me.

“I love you,” he told me.

“I love you, too,” I replied, and I reached for his hand, which he willingly gave me, and we held on tightly to each other as we scorned the audience - and President Snow, who looked both displeased and amused with himself. There was a dangerous glint in his eye that made me sick to look at, but Peeta’s firm hand in mine kept me grounded.

When the parade came to an end, Peeta, Haymitch and I made our way back to the elevator, giving our greetings to a couple of other tributes on our way, and as we entered the elevator, the door was stopped by Johanna Mason, who resembled a tree in her parade costume. “Going up,” she said with a smirk, and the door closed behind her. “You guys look amazing, as always. God, my stylist is such an _idiot_.” She began to undo her hair. “District Seven, lumber. Everything is always trees, trees and more fucking trees. Unzip?” She turned her back to Peeta, who glanced at me first before agreeing to unzip her dress. He tried to ignore the furious look on my face as he did so, then looked down at the ground when Johanna slipped out of her dress and stood before us stark naked. She was silent as she smirked at us, and both Peeta and Haymitch were awkwardly trying not to gawk at her rather large and plump breasts. When the elevator stopped on the seventh floor, the doors opened and she stalked out. “Let’s do it again sometime,” she said on her way out. When the doors closed behind her, I slapped the arms of both of the men I was sharing the elevator with.

“Pigs, both of you!” I snapped at them.

“I wasn’t looking! I swear!” Peeta exclaimed in defense.

“Sure you weren’t!” I spat back.

“Don’t blame the boy for bein’ a man,” Haymitch told me with a tone of bemusement, and I wanted to kill him even more. I knew there were rules against killing a fellow tribute before the Games, but were there any rules against killing your mentor?

“I _wasn’t_ looking! Katniss, there are only one pair of tits I’d like to look at and they belong to you. It’s not my fault that Johanna decided to take off her clothes and shove her giant tits in all of our faces!” Peeta replied, but at this point, I was ignoring him. When the elevator stopped on our floor, I stalked out, followed by Peeta, who wouldn’t let me go into what should have been my room without him. “Katniss.”

“I don’t like that bitch,” I said to him. “You mind? I’d like to shower.”

“I do mind, you’re not shoving me out. Not when we have days left with each other,” he replied, then he took my face in his hands and kissed my lips. “You are the _only_ woman for me. No one else. Okay? There is no need for you to get jealous.”

“Jealous? The hell does that mean?”

“When you want something that someone else has, or when another girl is flirting with the man you love and you’re angry.”

“ _Eudach?_ Jealous is the English word for that?”

“I guess so.”

“Then I am _not_ jealous!”

“If looks could kill, Johanna would be a mess of shredded skin and muscle on the floor.”

“That doesn’t make me jealous. Sure, I’d like to have enormous tits sometimes considering I got blessed with the body of a prepubescent twelve-year-old but I can assure you, I am _not_ jealous. I don’t like it when other women talk to you.”

“That’s the definition of jealousy.”

“That isn’t what I meant! I meant... Blimey, what the hell do I mean? I meant...” I let out a sigh, my language barrier yet again causing headaches. “I don’t like it when other women flirt with you and I don’t like it when they strip down naked as the day they were born and flash their tits at you.” Peeta was chuckling with amusement now, which annoyed me further. “The hell are you laughing at? This isn’t funny!”

“You’re cute when you’re angry,” he said with a charming smile, and I huffed.

“I’m not cute, I’m deadly. And if she flashes her tits at you again, she won’t have any tits to flash.” He chuckled again, then took me into his arms, his finger running along the very top of my dress, right above my breasts.

“How about we get this off of you so I can refresh my eyes with a pair of tits I actually like?” he asked me, and I rolled my eyes.

“Always tits with you men, isn’t it?” I asked him, and his hand slipped down to my bottom.

“Don’t worry, I’ll pay an equal amount of attention to other parts of you,” he replied, lowering his lips to my neck to kiss it, and then he undid the part of my dress that was keeping it up around my neck, pulling down the top to expose my rather small breasts, which had barely grown even after having two children. His warm, calloused hands cupped them both, and I let out a quiet groan and closed my eyes as his thumbs brushed my nipples. “Mmm, now _these_ are my favourites... I’ve been waiting to see these ladies all day.” Peeta always knew how to make me melt in his palm like butter. I suppose he truly was my weakness.

As stated before, the rest of the week was spent in training, being mentored by Haymitch on how to deal with experienced killers and spending every possible second I could in Peeta’s arms. I don’t need to go into detail about what happened in training - we trained, we socialised with the other victors and then we went back upstairs, showered and fell into bed together. Then came the evaluation. Peeta and I being District Twelve meant we went last, so we were sitting for quite a while, waiting for our turn. Peeta held my hand firmly, his eyes darting around to each of the tributes, pausing every so often. “Peeta, how are we gonna kill these people?” I asked him quietly so that no one could hear me.

“Not easily,” he replied, then he looked at me. “But you’re strong. I’ll get you through this and get you home.”

“I’m not having this argument again,” I told him, pulling my hand from his, and he sighed.

“I’m sorry,” he replied, reaching for my hand again, which I gave him with a sigh. “I just wish we could go home to our girls...”

“I miss them, too,” I said. It seemed like hours passed before Peeta was called in for his evaluation, and he bent down to give me a kiss. “Do something phenomenal,” I told him.

“You, too,” he replied, kissing me again, and then he went into the room. A good forty-five minutes passed before I was finally called in, and when I did, I was surprised to see two paintings on the floor - one of Lucy and one of Rue, both looking peacefully asleep with their dark hair fanning out behind them, lying in a bed of flowers. They looked so beautiful - Peeta did excellent work. The Gamemakers looked a bit flustered up in the booth, and when I locked eyes with the head gamemaker, Plutarch Heavensbee, he gave me a smirk. I quickly went to work by grabbing a dummy and using it to showcase my knot-tying skills, creating a noose around the dummy’s neck. Using the leftover paints, I painted him to look like Seneca Crane, the gamemaker who had spared both mine and Peeta’s lives now four years ago, and hanged him from the ceiling. Once again, the gamemakers looked flustered, and I took a bow before I stormed out of there without a word.

Effie was shocked at both of us, but Peeta and I were quite pleased with ourselves. The both of us had been given a score of twelve for our evaluation, the Capitol’s last attempt at putting a target on our backs. There was already a target on our backs - if Snow had anything to say about it, neither Peeta nor I were leaving the arena. Haymitch was very pleased with our actions and he and Peeta exchanged a glance, and when he did, I placed a hand on Peeta’s chest. When he met my eyes, I silently asked him if there was something he wasn’t telling me, but he smiled and kissed my nose.

On the last day of training, before we were to go into the arena, Peeta and I were given the day off, so we spent the day together on the roof. We talked and we laughed, we cried together and we comforted one another. We kissed and, once or twice, we made love there on the roof, and we dined on a picnic that we created. At one point, I lay with my head in Peeta’s lap, him sketching and I weaving flowers together to make a flower crown, when Peeta set down his sketch and began to run his hands through my hair. “I wish I could freeze this moment and live in it forever... You with your head in my lap, both of us free of worry and we can just be here together forever,” he told me suddenly.

“I wish we weren’t here... I wish we were home with our daughters... I wish there were no Games to be afraid of. I wish we could just be left alone to do as we please,” I said.

“I know... You said once before that... that if we hadn’t been reaped, we would have happened anyway... Do you really think we would have?” he asked me suddenly. I then sat up, then positioned myself in his lap so that my legs were on either side of him and my arms were wrapped around his neck.

“I do,” I told him. “I knew that every time I looked at you, I felt my heart skip a beat, even if I didn’t know why... I caught you looking at me a few times, too, and the feeling of knowing you’d noticed me made me dizzy. If we ever bumped shoulders in the corridors or if I ever saw you in the bakery... I always felt myself go all warm whenever I saw you. I admit once that the one time you were the one to answer the door when I came knocking to trade with your father, I... I really wanted to just grab you by your shirt collar and kiss you.”

“Well, I certainly wouldn’t have stopped you,” Peeta said with a chuckle.

“I told you before, I... I think deep down inside, I knew I loved you a very long time ago.” He smiled at me, then I gently brushed his lips with mine. “There’s no question that, had the Games never happened to us, you and I would still, eventually, be here. Something else might have brought us together.”

“Shh,” Peeta said, and he brushed my lips with his again. “Just let me kiss you...” He lowered me onto my back and pressed his lips passionately against mine, and I knew this kiss was going to turn into something more. He made love to me then on that rooftop for maybe the fifth time that day, our hips rocking together in a rhythmic motion and our moans playing off of each other. There was no doubt in my mind of how much I loved Peeta Mellark. He was everything I could ever want in a partner - loving, supportive, protective and also willing to back off when I needed him to (sometimes). He was an incredible father, a romantic lover and my absolute best friend in the entire world. There was nothing he didn’t know about me; I had no secrets from him, and he was the only person in the world who knew so much about me.

As we were coming down from yet another joint orgasm, I lay my head on Peeta’s bare chest and his fingers drew patterns on my back, the pair of us drifting off for a late afternoon nap. “You gonna shock the Capitol again like you did for our first Games?” I asked him suddenly.

“You mean when I told the whole world I was practically in love with you? Thinking about it,” he replied.

“What’s your idea this time? I’d like to be clued in this time. It could save your life,” I said, pressing a kiss to his collarbone.

“Katniss, everything I do, I do for you,” he replied. “I was thinking of maybe... Well... Since we lost Ollie, I thought maybe we could... announce another pregnancy. Maybe it would stop the Games.”

“Snow isn’t going to stop the Games. He wants us dead, he’s made it clear it doesn’t matter if I’m pregnant or not.”

“But we could try. There’s no harm in that.”

“True, we could try. I say do it and this time, I promise I’ll react accordingly. I’m glad you told me because if any of us are to look shocked at my pregnancy reveal, it really shouldn’t be me.” At that, Peeta chuckled, then he lifted my head to press a kiss to my lips.

“We should start thinking about heading in soon... We’ve got to get prepped for the interview. I’m glad we had this time to ourselves.” He gave me a smile, then we both begrudgingly made our way downstairs to separate and get prepped for the interviews.

The tributes’ interviews were attempts by each one trying to either question the validity of these special Games, expressing their anger or trying their hardest to get the Games stopped. My interview certainly didn’t do that, but Caesar did, of course, express his deepest sorrows and sympathies for the loss of my child. “I absolutely cannot imagine how frightened you must have been when you were attacked, Katniss. And then waking up to be told you had lost your child?” he said to me.

“The first thing I woke up to, actually, was a Capitol official harshly interrogating me and asking if I had caused my miscarriage myself, then she spared no expense to tell me that there would be severe consequences if there was evidence that I had,” I replied, hearing a couple of shocked gasps from the audience. Caesar’s face fell - another tribute putting him in a tough position.

“I see... You are certainly looking very well now! It’s a shame your beautiful daughters can’t be here today,” Caesar said, not realising he set himself up for yet another harsh remark from me.

“Peeta and I didn’t want them potentially watching their parents get brutally murdered so close. But they’re going to have to watch one of us die anyway, aren’t they?” I said, and Caesar again was unsure of what to say.

“Yes, yes... Now, your dress looks absolutely beautiful. Is it... Is this your wedding dress from your wedding now three and a half years ago?” Caesar asked me, referring to the hideous white mass on me, and I nodded.

“President Snow thought you should see it one last time, before...” I trailed off.

“Well, as usual, President Snow was right indeed! Give us a twirl in it, won’t you? I would _love_ to see this _beautiful_ dress in those _incredible_ flames your stylist has created!” Caesar exclaimed, and I obediently obliged, the dress erupting into the flames that I knew so well. What surprised me was that I began to see the flames start to climb my body, which I hadn’t seen before, and when I stopped spinning, I found myself wearing a deep blue shimmering form-fitting gown, and when I extended my arms, feathered wings sprang out from behind me. The Capitol citizens were oohing and ahing at the spectacle, and Caesar was fascinated. “Incredible! It’s some sort of... bird...”

“It’s a mockingjay,” I said as I caught my image on the screens, and Caesar’s face fell as he tried so hard to maintain both his composure and his overly ecstatic look. He looked so relieved when the timer went off, signifying the end of my interview, and when I made my way to take my seat with the other victors, my eye caught Peeta’s in the wing and I winked at him, which he returned before he was introduced and brought out onstage.

“Peeta Mellark!” Caesar exclaimed once Peeta was standing beside him. “I was just saying to your wife how terribly sorry I am about the loss of your child. How did you feel when you found out she had been attacked?”

“Well, Caesar, I was the one that found her and I was horrified, to say the least,” said Peeta expertly. “I was angry that I couldn’t be there to protect her or our unborn child and I wanted the person who did that to her to be dead, but they never found the guy.”

“Yes, you must have been _furious_! But at least you have your other two daughters, yes?”

“Yes, I love my girls more than anything in the world, but I did love my unborn son, too.”

“It was a boy?”

“Yes, we were going to announce it on Freya Deshannon’s Victory Tour, but then Katniss got attacked and unfortunately, lost him.”

“I was so looking forward to voting on the name in the contest! I was hoping you’d name him after me!” Peeta forced a laugh, but I knew inside that he was furious.

“Well, if Katniss survives, you might have a chance to do that again,” Peeta told him. This was the moment. Caesar’s face fell as Peeta’s words dawned on him.

“You mean...”

“Ever since we lost our son, Katniss and I have been vigorously trying again, without much success unfortunately. We know how badly the people of the Capitol wanted this baby, and all we aim to do is please, so we tried and tried, but then these Games threw a bit of a wrench in our plans. Or so we thought. Everything would be great... if it weren’t for the fact that Katniss is pregnant.” Upon his announcement, there was an uproar of screams, gasps and cries in the audience of Capitol people who began to demand an end to the Games. Peeta, a rather smug look on his face, observed the damage that he had done while Caesar tried to quiet the crowd.

“All right, all right, this is news to all of us! I, uh...” Caesar looked helpless and I almost felt bad for the man, but he was of the Capitol and he supported the Games as much as everyone else here did, so I didn’t feel too bad. He whispered something in Peeta’s ear, who nodded, and Peeta then joined me by my side, pulling me into his arms for a hug.

“Good job,” I whispered into his ear, holding him tightly as if we were mourning the potential loss of another child. When we broke from our embrace, we joined hands, and like we had during our first tribute parade now four years ago, Peeta raised our joined hands. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see other tributes joining hands and raising them, and soon, all twenty-four of us were joining hands and raising them, a symbol of unification. Then the lights went out, and we were blindly stumbling around in the dark.

As soon as Peeta and I were back on our floor, he pulled me into his arms and held me tightly, and I held him equally as tightly. We stayed in each other’s arms until Haymitch and Effie joined us on the floor. “Nice job with the baby bomb, but the Games are still goin’ on,” Haymitch told us. Of course they were. “They ain’t lettin’ us see you two off tomorrow, either... I gotta get back to the hotel and Frills here needs to get home.” Peeta and I pulled back from our embrace.

“So... this is goodbye,” I said, and Haymitch solemnly nodded. “Any last advice?”

“Stay alive,” Haymitch replied, and Peeta and I shared a casual chuckle.

“I just wish so much that you both could do it again,” Effie said, tears threatening her eyes. I couldn’t help but to pull the Capitol woman into my arms for a firm hug.

“Thank you... for everything,” I whispered into her ear. Then it was Peeta’s turn to embrace her, and she wiped her eyes when she separated from us.

“I have gifts for the boys... To show that we’re a team,” Effie said with a sad smile. “As we discussed briefly on the train, I have my golden hair, Katniss has her golden pin, Haymitch will have this golden bracelet.” She opened a small box and handed Haymitch the golden bracelet inside. “...and for Peeta, the medallion that we discussed.” She opened another box and pulled out a medallion on a chain, handing it to him.

“Thank you, Effie,” he said. “Both of you, thank you so much... We couldn’t have made it this far without either of you.” At that, Effie started to cry again, and she pulled both Peeta and I into her arms for an embrace.

“I’m so sorry this has happened to you... to your beautiful family that you’ve made for yourselves... I can only hope that... something happens...” she muttered through tears.

“This is it, Effie. We’re cornered. We can’t escape it this time,” I told her. When they began to take their leave, I stopped Haymitch by calling his name, and then I hugged him. “Keep him safe... and them... Take care of them for me,” I whispered to him.

“You just remember who the enemy is,” he muttered quietly to me, then he pulled back from the embrace to give me the best Haymitch smile he could muster. “Goodbye, sweetheart.” The pair of them left, leaving Peeta and I by ourselves.

I didn’t want to talk anymore, not about anything. Not the Games, not my feelings, not my hatred of Snow and the Capitol nor of how badly I wanted to wake up from this nightmare safe at home and in Peeta’s arms, with my daughters fast asleep just down the hall. I took Peeta to my room and we showered together, one final time, before crawling into bed and making love again and again until the sun came up. We should have slept, but we couldn’t; we just wanted to be in each other’s arms and we didn’t want to lose a second of that. “I don’t want to be in there with anyone else,” I whispered to Peeta after a prolonged silence. “Just you.”

“If that’s what you want,” he whispered back.

“It’s what I want,” I told him, closing my eyes as I rested my head against his bare chest. There was a subtle knock at the door, and Peeta let out a sigh.

“I guess this is it,” he said, and then we sat up, both of us still nude from the night before. “I’ll see you soon.” I grasped his face and pulled his lips to mine to kiss him.

“I love you,” I told him, in case I didn’t survive the initial bloodbath.

“Don’t say goodbye,” he told me. “I _will_ see you soon.” He kissed me again, and then he climbed out of bed to pull his clothes back on and left me by myself in the room. I was captured by a sense of dread that only worsened, and I hoped against hope that it meant that I would be the one giving my life and not Peeta losing his.

* * *

**PEETA POV**

* * *

I prepared for the Games with Portia only, who gave me a wetsuit to dress in. It was thick, which, according to Portia, meant that there would be water, and that it might be cold. Perfect, we’d probably all freeze to death. That was certainly a quick way for Snow to get rid of us all. When I got into the tube, I was brought up into the arena, and when my vision cleared, I looked around me. It looked circular, and all around me were rocks and trees. The air was a little crisp, but I felt comfortable in the wetsuit. When I glanced around for Katniss, I realised that I was absolutely surrounded by water, something that worried me quite considerably - I had never exactly mastered the art of swimming. When the countdown began, I searched the tributes that I could see for Katniss, but she wasn’t a single one of them. She must have been on the other side of the cornucopia. I looked to my right, where the District Nine male tribute, Benedict Albion, was staring me down. I’d shared a couple of drinks with that guy and he did not look very friendly today. To my left was Lily Taupe, the District Six tribute, who nervously glanced at me; at least she didn’t look like she wanted to murder me.

When the cannon went off, most of the tributes dived into the water, but I remained rooted where I stood on my platform, not entirely sure if I wanted to risk jumping into the water considering I didn’t trust my swimming abilities. Benedict had, evidently, decided that I was going to be his target and made a beeline for me, so I had no choice but to jump in the water in hopes of swimming out to one of the spokes of the giant wheel we seemed to be in. I didn’t make it in time, because Benedict grabbed me and we struggled against each other, pulling each other under and trying hard to win the fight. Out of the corner of my eye, I could have sworn I saw Katniss carrying a bow, but before I could look, I was dragged under the water. I didn’t want to do it, but I had no choice - it was kill or be killed. I firmly grasped his throat and strangled the poor man until he fell unconscious, and then I let him go, kicking my way back to the surface and grabbing onto the platform as Finnick Odair swam over to me.

“Peeta, it’s all right!” he said out loud - loud enough for Katniss to hear. Of course I knew it was all right, we were planning a rebellion together. I nodded for the sake of acting, then piggybacked on him all the way to the rocks, where Katniss grabbed my arm and helped me to stand on the rocks. I pulled her into a tight hug, kissing the side of her head.

“See, I told you I’d see you soon,” I told her.

“Nevermind that, we’ve got to go,” she told me, pushing a knife into my hand, and then we ran. With Finnick was Mags, of course, and as we left the rocky spokes and ran up onto the rocky mountainous terrain, Katniss was the only one adeptly managing to climb the terrain, seemingly in the best shape and not struggling one bit while the rest of us tripped or slipped.

“How are you doing this?” Finnick had asked her as we continued to climb, pausing to take a breather.

“I’m Hebridean, the best damn rock runner in Uibhist. Would have been the best damn rock runner in Hebridia, but some little shit from Archaibh tripped me up,” Katniss replied. “ _Tugainn_. Come on, we’ve got to keep moving.”

“Easy for you to say, ‘best rock runner in Oo-vist,” I said, teasing her.

“ _Uibhist_ , say it right,” she replied, also teasing me, and we continued up the hill. Eventually, we got to a point that was relatively flat, although it was very high up and into the trees, which were very dense. Using the knife Katniss had given me to cut through some ivy that was growing, I took the lead. After a few minutes of doing that, I heard Katniss shout, “PEETA, NO!” and all I heard as my knife came into contact with the force field was a loud crack, and then everything went black.

What felt like moments later, I took a gasp of air, my lungs burning as the chilly air filled my chest. I let out a gentle cough and let my eyes adjust from the darkness, and I felt a pressure leave my chest. Above me, in the light, was a person hovering over me, and when my vision cleared, I saw that it was Katniss, who was absolutely distraught and in tears. “Peeta! Peeta!” she said as I came to, her hands all over my chest and face, and then her lips were on mine, a salty taste from her tears upon them.

“Careful, there’s a force field up there,” I said, trying to alleviate the stress, and she laughed, then pressed her lips to mine again. “You were dead... You were dead, your heart stopped...”

“It’s okay, it’s working now,” I told her as she leaned down to hold me, and I raised a hand to cradle the back of her head. “Shhh, I’m okay...”

“You shouldn’t be comforting me, you just died!” Katniss cried out, then she pushed herself up to hover over me. “See now why you have to be the one to live? I can’t go through that again! I can’t!”

“Katniss, it’s okay. I’m okay,” I told her, pushing myself to sit up, and she threw her arms around my neck and hugged me very tightly. “It’s okay...” Once I’d finally recovered from the actual greatest shock of my life, and thanked Finnick for saving my life, we headed along the force field, Katniss tossing some kind of nut at it to mark where the force field was. She was quiet, the initial shock of my near death having worn off, so this quiet was something else. “What’s the matter?” I asked her.

“Nothing,” she replied. “Just thinking.”

“About what? Mags and I are your allies, you can trust us after all,” Finnick told her somewhat snidely, resulting in a glare from Katniss, and I, too, glanced at him, warning him not to step on her toes.

“I need to see something,” Katniss said, heading upwards towards the peak of whatever mountain we were on. The highest point was on a rock that jutted out rather precariously over a valley, and she stood there rather confidently as she looked around. Before us was the water, which was in a perfect circle, and was a rich blue colour. The rocks, both under our feet and making up the spokes of the circle, were brown in colour and the trees were thick and green, very unlike the forest of our first arena.

“It’s familiar to you... isn’t it?” Finnick said suddenly, interrupting the silence.

“Yes,” Katniss replied with distance in her voice. “This arena... it was made to unsettle me. It was designed to kill me...” She paused for a moment. “This arena... it’s Hebridia...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How will the arena being reminiscent of her childhood home affect her in the arena? Will she find out about the rebellion plans?
> 
> Please review!
> 
> I hope this doesn’t sound too rushed either, like I said I really don’t want to basically retell exactly what happened in ‘Catching Fire’ because there’s a 99% chance that if you’re reading this, you already know what happens. I have an idea of how to retell the rest of the Games so hopefully, I’ll start that and get that up soon and then this story will be finished, and then the sequel can begin!


	26. The Wheel That Turns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haymitch’s perspective of the Panem Centennial Hunger Games. The plan comes to fruition.

* * *

**HAYMITCH POV**

* * *

My job was to watch the Games from the outside and then on the third day of ‘em, I was to meet with Epsilon, Zeta and their team when they came to rescue us all from this hell of a place that Frills called home. For a minute, I thought the whole plan was compromised when Peeta hit the force field because I knew sweetheart wasn’t gonna do shit if the boy was dead, but thankfully, fish boy knew what he was doin’ and saved the boy.

While I was in the control room, I watched as Katniss recognised what the arena was, and no, the arena wasn’t designed to kill her or throw her off. Plutarch Heavensbee, otherwise known as Beta, designed the arena to benefit her the most. “Putting her in an environment that only she knows best will help keep her alive as long as possible,” Plutarch had said. “Plus, it might give her more fighting power. Especially when she meets the boys.” The boys in question were Epsilon and Zeta, otherwise known as Cailean and Calum Fòlais. They were smart as shit and more talented in science and mechanics than anyone I’d ever met, and on top of that, they were Hebridean, too, just like Katniss, but of course, there was a reason for that - Cailean and Calum were Katniss’s younger brothers. I didn’t know the whole story, but I knew the girl came over to Twelve from Hebridia with her family and there was some big attack that killed the rest of ‘em, leavin’ just the boys as survivors. District Thirteen rescued the survivors of the attack, and there were a couple hundred of ‘em.

My own name was Theta, Finnick Odair was Kappa and Beetee Latier was Iota. We were the three in charge of the rebellious movement in the districts. Beetee was in charge of technology, Finnick of espionage and I just kept the two of ‘em in check. I was always the damn babysitter, wasn’t I? That left Gamma, who was Commander Boggs, Delta, who was Commander Jackson, and Eta, a young girl called Carolina who was on track to become a commander herself, but I knew nothin’ beyond her first name. Alpha was President Alma Coin of District Thirteen, and while I tried hard to respect her, she was nothin’ more to me than some cold old bitch with a dry pussy.

When the kids (and Mags) finally settled down for the first night, the faces of all the tributes who’d died during the day began to show up in the sky. Eddie Barker and Imogene Walker from District Five, John Sellers from District Six, Woof Darwin and Cecelia Ember from District Eight, Benedict Albion and Lalla Addison from District Nine, Rodney Fuller from District Ten and Seeder Palmer from District Eleven. Nine tributes dead, fifteen tributes left alive. It sucked that we couldn’t save more of the tributes, but our main focus was on Peeta and Katniss. Beetee, Finnick and Johanna were second priority and the remaining rebellion sympathisers - Mags, Lily Taupe from Six, Blight Duluth from Seven and Chaff Lemell from Eleven - were third priority, but they likely wouldn’t make it out.

The first night for the kids was full of a lot of trouble. First, they were surprised by the lightnin’ hittin’ a tree at midnight, and then came the poisonous fog. This arena was set up so that there was a different danger in every sector, which activated upon its assigned hour in clockwise formation. At midnight, lightning hit a tree in the twelve o’clock sector. At one o’clock, poison fog took over the sector. At two o’clock, small bear mutations would become violent in their sector. At three o’clock, jabberjay mutations would take over the sector, terrorising the poor bastard that got trapped in it. At four o’clock, blood rain would fall from the sky in the sector. At five o’clock, a rockslide would fall down the mountainside. At six o’clock, poisonous mushrooms would release spores, kind of like the poisonous fog, only it would make whoever got trapped in it hallucinate. At seven o’clock, which was at the very top of a mountain, a dangerous blizzard would come in and freeze the sector. At eight o’clock, ocelot muttations, which were some kinda big cat, would roam the sector. At nine o’clock, a fire would sweep through the trees, burning everything in its path, but everything would be fine again in time for the fire to destroy it all over again in twelve hours. At ten o’clock, a large wave would come from the top of the sector and head down to the beach. At eleven o’clock, some sort of dangerous clickin’ insect would become active. Each sector would become safe again when the hour was up and each danger stayed only within the confines of its sector, but how long would it take the kids to figure that out? Plutarch only informed me of this and instructed me not to tell even Beetee, Johanna or Finnick, so every tribute was left in the dark.

Watchin’ the kids escape the fog was painful, mostly because the fog could paralyse ‘em until they choked to death on it, but they managed to do it. Mags, on the other hand, sacrificed herself when Peeta became too compromised by the fog to get himself to safety. I had to look away from the screen, her death was so horrible. Of course, when they’d finally escaped the fog, they fell right into the damn bear sector, which was about to activate. Earlier, I’d sent ‘em a spile to get water from the trees and Peeta went off to get some after treatin’ their injuries from the fog in a small river. When the bear sector activated, I had to watch as the three of ‘em - Peeta, Katniss and Finnick, fought off these small bear muttations, and Peeta almost got his throat ripped out of it weren't for Lily Taupe, who was camouflaged in a tree. She pushed the bear off of Peeta and got attacked, and Finnick killed the bear with his trident. Peeta and Katniss dragged Lily out of the woods and onto the beach, gettin’ her in the water to wash the blood off of her, but it was too late for her.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Hey... Look up at the sky,” Peeta said to her in a comforting manner, of which he was so damn good at. “See all the colours? It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Focus on the sky...” It was hard to see ‘em, as they were silhouetted against the sunrise, but Peeta and Katniss stayed by Lily’s side until she died, leaving her to float in the water so the Capitol hovercraft could pick up her body.

“She sacrificed herself for you,” Katniss said suddenly to Peeta, who looked at her. He knew Lily had been in on the rebellion, but he couldn’t tell Katniss that.

“That doesn’t make any sense,” he replied nonchalantly. Everyone was surprised by a sudden scream, and then the sound of a cannon as a giant wave came from the ten o’clock sector, soaking the entire beach with water. Then, stumbling out of the four o’clock sector covered in blood, Johanna Mason came into view, followed by Beetee Latier and Wiress Maslow. Blight Duluth had originally been with ‘em, but when the four o’clock sector was active, they stumbled through the blood rain and he ran into the force field. Katniss was distrustful of Johanna after that stunt she pulled in the elevator, but Peeta trusted her, so Katniss didn’t have a choice but to accept her as an ally. Wiress had gone insane probably from the stress and the dehydration, and she kept sayin’ ‘tick tock’ over and over again. I knew that genius had had the clock arena figured out. Johanna flipped out on Wiress, and Katniss shoved her away to take Wiress into the water to wash the blood off of her.

“Tick tock, tick tock,” Wiress kept saying again and again.

“Tick tock,” Katniss repeated, glancing around the arena. “Tick tock... circle... wedges...” She turned to look at the figures on the beach. “What’s the English word for ‘ _gloc’_?” she’d asked her allies.

“How the hell are we supposed to know, Brainless?” Johanna spat at her.

“Bloody hell,” Katniss snapped back. “Time, the wee thing that tells it. The circle with all the numbers, what’s that called?”

“A clock?” Peeta asked.

“Yes! A clock! The arena, it’s a clock!” Katniss exclaimed. “Wiress, you’re a genius!” A short time after, the six of ‘em started headin’ back to the cornucopia to regroup and assess the arena from the midpoint. “This entire arena seems to be laid out like a clock,” Katniss was saying as she expertly navigated the rocks leadin’ up to the cornucopia. “Each section has a new threat every hour, but they stay only within their wedge. It all starts with the lightning, then the fog, then the bloody fucking bears, then whatever the hell is in the next section, then the blood rain. That’s the first four hours, and then at ten, that big wave hits from over there.”

“Wiress, you are a genius,” Finnick complemented the middle-aged woman as the six of them made it onto the little island. Peeta bent down over a sandy section with his knife, drawing out a picture in the sand.

“The tail points at twelve,” he said, referring to the tail of the cornucopia, and then he bent back over to draw the wedges in the circle.

“That’s where the lightning strikes at noon and midnight,” Katniss chimed in, walkin’ around the island to get a better view.

“Strikes where?” asked Beetee.

“There, at that big tree,” Katniss answered him. While they were analysing their surroundings, Wiress went down to the water to put her hands in, muttering an old nursery rhyme called ‘Hickory Dickory Dock’ to herself.

“So,” said Peeta, drawing small pictures in the wedges of his circle. “From twelve to one, lightning. One to two is fog, then bears...”

“Bloody fucking bears,” Katniss corrected him.

“Then bloody fucking bears,” Peeta repeated. “And then... we don’t know, and then blood.”

“And then ten to eleven, the wave. What about everything else? Did anyone else see anything?” Katniss asked the group.

“Nothing but blood,” Johanna muttered bitterly.

“Doesn’t matter, as long as we steer clear of whatever sector is active, we’ll be safe,” said Peeta, standing up to examine his map.

“Yeah, relatively speaking,” Finnick replied, exchanging a look with Peeta. Katniss eyed the two of them suspiciously. What they didn’t see was Gloss Horne from One sneaking up behind the group and Wiress, grabbing her from behind and cutting into her throat with his knife. When the cannon sounded and startled the group, Katniss quickly drew her bow and shot an arrow at Gloss, striking him through the chest, and he fell back. Cashmere Horne came from a different direction, and Johanna shoved whoever was closest to her out of the way and hurled an axe at Cashmere, sinking it into her chest. She fell unconscious, but the cannon did not sound. Brutus then came from another direction and Finnick and Peeta prepared to fight him off, but then he ran off. Katniss followed him and Peeta tried, but Finnick held him back as Katniss and Johanna ran after Brutus and Enobaria, who were now running off the island.

Very suddenly, the island began to spin, and all five remaining tributes on the island fell off their feet and tried to hang onto the rocks for dear life as the island spun rather furiously. Johanna used her axe to keep her and Katniss on the rock and Katniss was only holding onto Johanna, while Peeta, Finnick and Beetee were dodging boxes and weapons. Cashmere, who was still barely alive, fell into the water. Katniss’s hand soon slipped from Johanna’s and she, too, fell into the water, and shortly after, the cornucopia stopped spinning. Peeta was the first to stand, his first thoughts likely goin’ to sweetheart, and he searched around the cornucopia but only found Johanna. “Where's Katniss?” he asked her.

“I don’t know, I couldn’t hold onto her,” Johanna replied, searching the water. Katniss was actually on the other side of the cornucopia, out of view of the others. Cashmere’s cannon went off, and Peeta startled more than anyone.

“Katniss? KATNISS!” he called, running around to the other side of the cornucopia desperate to find any sign of his wife. He spotted her climbing up onto the rocks of one of the spokes - the one near the three o’clock sector. “Katniss!” Peeta ran to his wife as quickly as his clumsy feet could take him on the slippery rocks, falling to his knees beside her as she coughed and spit up water. “Katniss, are you okay?” he asked her, his voice laced with worry, and she gave him a thumbs up, then collapsed onto her side and rolled onto her back to look up at him. Her braid had fallen out in the water and her soaking wet hair stuck to her face, which Peeta pushed out of the way, and he bent down to kiss her. “My god, I heard the cannon and I thought...”

“It must have been Cashmere... or maybe Brutus... or Enobaria... or whoever else is left,” Katniss replied, out of breath. “This is payback for scaring me yesterday.” Peeta laughed, then bent down to kiss her again.

“Well, now I feel bad for almost dying,” he replied playfully, and Katniss lightly shoved his shoulder.

“Shut up and help me stand up,” she told him, which he did, and then he pulled her into his arms.

“Can we just get what we need and get off the bloody island?” Johanna exclaimed, breaking the moment. When they finally calmed down, the group made their way to sit on the beach of the three o’clock sector, probably not even realising that the sector was about to activate. That was the jabberjay sector, and I feared what all of them were gonna hear. When three o’clock hit, I found out quickly that this was meant to really hurt whoever was unfortunate enough to get trapped in that sector for the hour.

“MAMA!” I heard the voice of Lark shout from inside the woods. Both Katniss and Peeta picked up their heads in shock, their eyes wide as they heard the cries of their daughter calling from inside the woods.

“No... No, they can’t...” Peeta said, knowing for a fact that there was no way their daughter could be in the arena. Katniss, on the other hand, could not ignore the cries of the voice that sounded like her daughter, and she got up and darted into the woods. “Katniss, no! Wait!” Peeta called after her, following behind.

“I’ve got her!” Finnick exclaimed, shoving Peeta backwards so hard that he fell back, and he ran into the woods after Katniss. Soon, the jabberjays were mimicking Annie Cresta’s voice, too, and when Finnick and Katniss finally realised that the voices calling them were only jabberjays, the pair of them ran back as the jabberjays began to flock.

“Katniss! Stop! Stop!” Peeta shouted through the barrier of the sector, but Katniss couldn’t hear him, running straight into it. “It’s not real! It’s not real! They’re just mutts, it’s not real!” Peeta tried shouting to her, but she was too panicked to understand. She fell down to the ground, clamped her hands over her ears and screamed at the top of her lungs to drown out the screams that grew to include both Lark and Maevis, Prim and even that damn Hawthorne boy, who was nothin’ but trouble. Finnick, on the other hand, was forced to listen to the cries of Annie and his mother, who was still alive. When the hour was up, Peeta was quick to give Katniss a shake and pull her back to reality. “Katniss, they're gone! They’re gone. The hour’s up! It’s okay now, the hour’s up!” he said to her. Katniss sat up very suddenly, almost whacking him in the face with her head, gripping his arm firmly.

“Lark! Maevis!” she exclaimed with fear.

“They’re okay. Our daughters are safe, they’re okay,” Peeta told her. “It was just mutts, they were copying their voices, probably from modified recordings. They’re okay. It wasn’t real.”

“And Prim...”

“Prim’s okay, too.” Letting out a massive sigh of relief, Katniss threw her arms around her husband and held onto him tightly, almost as tightly as she had when Peeta had almost died.

“They’d never hurt your darling little girls or your darling little sister. The Capitol loves them. There’d be riots in the street. I’ll go and get you some water,” Johanna said bitterly.

“But the birds... they... they might...” Katniss muttered, looking up at Johanna.

“What? You think they might come after me next?” Johanna asked, and then she turned to face the sky. “YOU GOT SOMETHING BETTER, SNOW? JABBERJAYS AREN'T ENOUGH! YOU NEED TO DO BETTER! YOU CAN'T JUST PUT PEOPLE IN HERE!” She then turned back to the rest of the group, four sets of eyes on her. “What? He can’t hurt me. There’s no one left that I love.” With that said, she stomped off, leaving the four of them behind.

When the group had finally recovered from the jabberjays, they returned to the beach, and Beetee then introduced his false plan of shocking the beach to kill the remaining Careers, but really, it was a plan to destroy the arena so we could slip in and get ‘em. That night, the plan would finally take place, but until then, the plan was to keep Beetee alive until midnight to carry out the plan. While Beetee, Johanna and Finnick sat on the beach together, Katniss and Peeta went off on their own for a moment to themselves, although of course, hundreds of thousands of eyes were watching them very closely. Peeta and Katniss were discussing Katniss’s distrust of the other tributes, and of course, Peeta knew better, but he had to pretend that he didn’t so that Katniss, and the Capitol, didn’t catch on. “You know what’s going to happen after we carry out Beetee’s plan,” Katniss told him. “I don’t want to be the one that shoots first.”

“What if they don’t wanna shoot first, either? What if no one wants to shoot first? Katniss, we don’t know what’s gonna happen,” Peeta told her. “What if... what if we all decide not to shoot first?”

“They won’t let that happen, not again. There was hell to pay when you and I made it out together, but five of us? No, they won’t let that happen. You and I both know that there’s only one person getting out of here, and it’s going to be one of us,” she replied firmly. God, she could be so damn stubborn! I really felt for the boy in that moment.

“I don’t wanna talk about this...”

“We spent days avoiding this topic. It’s going to have to come up sooner or later.”

“Well, not right now. Right now... I just want to hold you.”

“Peeta.” A moment of silence passed between them. “Peeta, I badly want us both to make it out alive. I don’t want to kill anyone. I _never_ did. I might be a hunter, but I’m not a killer. But that’s not how the Games work... We’re allied now against the Careers, and when they’re gone, our alliance is going to break and I want us both to be out of there as quickly as we possibly can. I won’t take any chances that might result in me losing you.”

“Fine, then... we’ll stick with these guys until midnight and if we hear a cannon... we’ll go.”

“And after that?”

“I’m not discussing after that.”

“Peeta.”

“No, Katniss. You are the mother of two beautiful girls who need you.”

“They need you, too.”

“They need us both, but you’re right, they’re _not_ gonna let us both leave this arena again, so it’s going to be you. It _has_ to be you.” I watched the boy pull off the medallion that Effie had given him and he opened it up to reveal pictures of Lark and Maevis, Agnessa, Prim and Gale. When we discussed it, I’d told him to put his own picture in there, but he’d said the point was to show her that there were people still alive who needed her - even though he was gonna get out of the arena, too. “It’s the principle of it. She needs to know, even for the future,” he’d told me. I tuned back into the Games, where a still somewhat frustrated Peeta was trying to convince Katniss to not die for him. “These people... they need you... Sure, our daughters need me, too, but my parents don’t. My brothers don’t need me. My friends don’t need me.”

“What about me?” Katniss interrupted him. “Peeta, _I_ need you, more than anyone else in the world. I told you this. I need you to live, otherwise, life isn’t worth living.”

“Don’t say that... the girls...”

“Have a very loving family that can care for them. But I can’t live without you, Peeta... I won’t. I love you so much that I cannot face this world without you.” There were tears falling down her cheeks now, and the boy wiped them away.

“I love you, too... but you have to live... For them.” Katniss shook her head, then threw her arms around the boy and captured his lips in a kiss.

“Find someone to make you happy, who loves the girls as much as I do...”

“Don’t talk like that. I will _never_ find someone that I could _ever_ love as much as I love you. Do you really think that I could have any chance of living without you? I can’t do it, and I won’t do it, either.”

“Then don’t be selfish and take yourself away from me because Peeta, I refuse to live without you.” She kissed him again so he couldn’t argue, and I coulda sworn the two of ‘em were gonna go at it until Johanna interrupted ‘em. They prepared to set up for the lighting strike, and this was where I left the control room.

I made my way back to the twelfth floor of Tribute Tower and climbed onto the roof, which was covered by the starry sky of night. After a moment, the hovercraft that would be rescuing me and the other tributes landed on the roof, and when the door opened and the ramp slid out, I was almost surprised by the face I saw at the top of it. A pale face, flanked by reddish-blonde hair and silver eyes that shimmered with firmness and ambition. I smiled in amusement.

“Freya Deshannon,” I said, and her lips curled up in a smile. “You’re a fuckin’ ghost if I’ve ever seen any.”

“Snow’s tried to kill me a lot of times but he hasn’t succeeded yet,” she replied smugly. “Getting on? We’re five minutes shy of midnight.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said, joining her on the hovercraft, and it took off to get out of the Capitol’s detectable airspace while we waited for the right moment.

* * *

**KATNISS POV**

* * *

“Why can’t Peeta and I go together?” I’d asked Beetee. He’d instructed Johanna and I to take the copper coil down to the beach while Finnick and Peeta protected him by the tree.

“Because there’s two Careers so I need two bodyguards. Peeta and Finnick are the strongest out of all of us,” Beetee replied.

“Is there a problem?” Finnick asked me curiously, and I glared at him, setting the coil down and walking over to Peeta, wrapping my arms around his neck and drawing in his lips for a kiss.

“I love you,” I whispered quietly to him when I hugged him.

“Don’t say goodbye,” he whispered back to me. “I’ll see you soon...” He broke the embrace, then kissed me again.

“I’ll see you at midnight,” I said at a normal volume.

“All right, let’s go,” Johanna said, and I picked up the coil and began to follow her, glancing at Peeta one final time over my shoulder before he disappeared from my sight. We walked for a little while, but soon, I felt some slack on the coil, and when I glanced back behind me, I could see that the coil had been cut. I was nearly blinded by being whacked in the head by Johanna with the coil and I fell to the ground, blindly reaching for my bow while I tried to fight off her attack. I couldn’t die, not here. Not when I couldn’t protect Peeta. I knew these people couldn’t be trusted! But Johanna was strong, and she sat on my chest and carved into my arm with her knife, then with her hand, spread some blood on my neck. “Keep quiet and don’t say a word!” she hissed at me, getting up and running off. Whimpering from the pain and the fear of not knowing what happened to Peeta, I laid there for a moment as I heard footsteps approaching.

“Johanna,” I heard a whispered voice say - Finnick’s. I pretended to be dead so that he wouldn’t notice me - strange how I hadn’t heard a single cannon. Peeta must have gotten away. When Finnick was gone, I got up and followed the wire back to the tree, startling when I saw a large explosion followed by Beetee’s limp form lying on the ground, but still no cannon sounded. I searched for Peeta, but he was nowhere to be found.

“Peeta?” I called. “Peeta!” Was I stupid yelling out like that? Sure. Finnick and Johanna probably thought I was dead. Why didn’t Johanna kill me, actually? She had the perfect chance to do it, yet she didn’t. “Peeta!”

“Katniss!” I heard a voice off in the distance call - Peeta’s.

“Peeta!” I called back to him, but he sounded so far away. I heard footsteps approach me, and when I drew my bow, I saw Finnick step into the clearing from the woods, his hands raised.

“Katniss,” he said calmly. “Don’t shoot me. Don’t shoot anyone.”

“Where's Peeta?” I demanded from him.

“I don’t know, he ran off in the other direction to chase off Brutus,” Finnick replied.

“I knew you couldn’t be trusted,” I spat at him, ready to shoot an arrow straight through his heart.

“Katniss, wait!” Finnick exclaimed. “There isn’t time! Remember who the real enemy is...” The enemy... Was it really Finnick, like I initially believed? Something was telling me that that wasn’t so, that Finnick wasn’t the one to blame for everything that went wrong tonight. Finnick certainly wasn’t to blame for the last four years of my life. Four years of constantly living in fear wondering what was going to happen to my family, wondering if everything I did was enough to keep my daughters safe from the reaping. Maybe I didn’t have to live in fear anymore, and maybe Finnick was telling me that there was another way. So many people had died for Snow and the Capitol and the stupid fucking Hunger Games, which were a punishment for the sins of people who were now long dead, the reminder of a failed rebellion. Well, what if there was another rebellion, and it didn’t fail? Twenty-three lives were taken every year for seventy-four years, and for two years, forty-seven lives, and for one year - the year Peeta and I won the Games - twenty-two. That added up to over eighteen hundred lives - one thousand, eight hundred and eighteen, to be exact - taken for the entertainment of people who had had their pride wounded by those who were suffering at their hands while they thrived and rubbed it in our faces.

Not anymore.

Lowering my arrow from Finnick, I picked up what was left of the copper wire. If I could destroy the arena, maybe it would spark a rebellion. I wouldn’t live to see it, but Peeta would, and maybe Finnick and Johanna, wherever she was. Peeta would live to see it and he could lead it with that beautiful golden tongue he possessed. If there was anyone fit to lead a rebellion, it was Peeta Mellark. _My_ Peeta Mellark. My _husband_ Peeta Mellark, father to my children, who may live to see a future that doesn’t threaten their lives every day. I wrapped the copper wire around my arrow, then drew it back, aiming it at the sky.

“Katniss, what are you doing?” Finnick asked me cautiously, and I listened for the clicking of the insects in the next sector - it had stopped, which meant that the lightning would come any second.

“Starting a rebellion,” I replied, and not a moment too soon, the lightning struck the tree, and I launched my arrow up at the arena sky. As the electricity coursed through my own body, throwing me back onto the ground harshly, I watched as my arrow lodged itself in the sky and electrocuted it, revealing the panels of the arena, and then the sky began to fall.

Around me were fires everywhere as the pieces of the arena sky fell, natural moonlight shining through. A bright light suddenly caught my eye and I was blinded by it, seeing nothing else but this light. This was it. This was the end of me, and that was okay. My death would kickstart a rebellion that would make the world a safer and better place for my daughters, which was all I could have ever asked for. No more Games, no more Snow, no more fear. Peeta would be safe from Snow’s grasp, and he would live to be the most incredible father to our two beautiful daughters. Lark and Maevis, my beautiful girls that I loved so much, would finally be safe.

In the light, I saw a dark mass, but before I could make out what it was, the world went black as I slipped into unconsciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What’s going to happen now that the arena is destroyed? Will the rest of Panem take the bait that Katniss left them, or will they take some convincing?
> 
> Please review!


	27. Misery Without Company

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katniss wakes up on a Capitol hovercraft and overhears a small part of a very serious conversation.

* * *

**KATNISS POV**

* * *

I awoke with a start, finding myself lying on a flat surface with a plastic mask on my face. I pulled it off as I looked around me - I was inside of a hovercraft. No... I had failed, and the Capitol had captured me and probably Peeta, too. I glanced around again, finding myself surrounded by four other mats, three of them empty and one of them occupied by an unconscious Beetee. Beside me was a small medical kit, and I reached into it to grab a small syringe. I wasn’t going to let the Capitol take Peeta. One injection of air into his bloodstream would kill him, and then the Capitol couldn’t have him. I didn’t care what they did to me, so long as they didn’t hurt him. I stood up and made my way towards a door, where I began to hear voices.

“She ain’t gonna do nothin’ without the boy, I’m tellin’ you! She’s stubborn as hell!” I heard what sounded like Haymitch’s voice say. What the hell was he on about? And what the hell was he doing here?

“She’s going to have to do something, at least,” said an unknown male voice in... Was that a Hebridean accent? “Coin’s had enough of waiting. You know she’ll be pissed if she doesn’t get an answer from her.”

“Haymitch’s right, I don’t think she’ll do anything without Peeta,” I heard another unknown male voice say, also in a Hebridean accent.

“Then we’ll have to rescue him, simple as that,” said a somewhat familiar female voice, but I couldn’t place it. It wasn’t Johanna, that was for sure, nor was it Enobaria, the only other female tribute left in the arena besides myself.

“It ain’t that easy. You know we barely made it out ourselves,” said Haymitch’s voice again.

“If she’s not going to do anything without him, then we might not have a choice,” said the second Hebridean voice again. “Figure it out amongst yourselves, how you’re going to tell her when she wakes up. Calum and I need to pilot this thing.” Calum? No, I couldn’t let my heartstrings get tugged by another name from my past. My family was dead, that was that... but it sounded like Peeta was in trouble. I waited a moment for the room to go silent before I pressed the button that opened the door, startling everyone at the table.

“Sweetheart! Good mornin’,” Haymitch said, recovering from the surprise.

“What the hell is going on?” I demanded, looking around at everyone sitting at the table. The familiar faces belonged to Haymitch and Finnick, and then I was very surprised to see Freya Deshannon, whom I thought had died in the train derailment during her Victory Tour, but I’d worry about that later. The fourth was the head gamemaker, Plutarch Heavensbee, whom I had only seen in interviews but had never met - why the hell was he here? There was one unfamiliar face - the face of a blonde girl who was about my age, maybe a little younger, with grey eyes that were very reminiscent of the grey eyes that were trying to calm me down. The owners of the two male Hebridean voices were not present.

“Sweetheart, let me explain-” Haymitch began, but I cut him off.

“Where's Peeta?” I demanded, and the room went silent. “ _ Where’s Peeta. _ ”

“Dead, if he’s lucky,” Finnick said hollowly, with no emotion in his voice but sorrow. “I hope they’re all dead... it’s a better fate than what they’re destined for otherwise.”

“What the hell is he talking about?” I demanded from Haymitch, who let out a sigh.

“Sweetheart... All this was part of the plan... the plan to get you out of the arena and out of Snow’s grasp. All this is part of the rebellion,” he began.

“Rebellion?” I asked him. “Where the hell is Peeta?”

“I’m gettin’ there,” Haymitch replied, and he sighed again. “We thought we’d have more time after you destroyed the arena, but the Capitol caught on fast. We barely had enough time to get you, Finnick and Beetee out. It was easier because y’all were all in one place. Peeta and Johanna, they... Well, we couldn’t really find ‘em. Finnick disabled Peeta’s tracker, so we couldn’t find him, and we couldn’t get to Johanna in time.”

“I don’t care about what happened to Johanna,” I said firmly. “I’m going to ask you one more time, and if I don’t get a straight fucking answer, I will claw your fucking eyes out. Where the hell is Peeta?”

“He’s in the Capitol,” said the blonde girl, throwing me off. “We couldn’t rescue him. He was captured by the Capitol.”

“No... No, no, no...” I muttered as the realisation that I hadn’t saved Peeta after all dawned on me. I was horrified at the thought of what they could possibly be doing to my Peeta and I was furious with Haymitch for not keeping his promise of keeping Peeta safe. I was in a blind rage as I lunged at Haymitch, trying desperately to tear his throat out and screaming unintelligible words at him, and a firm pair of hands hooked themselves under my armpits and dragged me away from him. “Get your  _ fucking _ hands off of me!”

“Katniss,  _ calm down _ , crabby!” I heard a male Hebridean voice say in Gàidhlig. Only two people in the world had ever called me ‘crabby’ in all of my life, and they were both dead. They’d been dead for years, dying at the age of seven a very long time ago. I froze as I heard the words, not daring to look at their owner, but curiosity got the better of me, and I glanced up at the towering figure behind me. He had chocolate brown curls, same as me, and his left eye was a piercing stormy grey-blue colour while his right eye was an earthly brown. He was smiling at me, in the same way that my father had once smiled at me.

“Cailean,” I whispered, and his smile brightened.

“Been a while, hasn’t it?” he asked me in Gàidhlig, but I was too shocked to respond. Cailean was... alive? And earlier, when I heard his voice speaking to the others... he named a Calum. Was it the same Calum that was his mirror-image twin? I didn’t have the time to ask, because I felt a pinch in my arm, and then everything went black again as I fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

I woke up again, this time lying on a table in a darkened metallic room, and when I glanced around the room, I saw the blonde girl from the hovercraft standing against the wall with her arms across her chest. When she saw that I was awake, she lowered her arms and approached me. “Katniss, hi,” she said with a friendly smile.

“Who are you? Where am I?” I asked her.

“I’m your official welcome committee,” she said, trying to sound light-hearted, but I was in no mood to laugh. “My name’s Carolina Abernathy, I’m a soldier here, a commander-in-training.”

“Abernathy?” I asked her, perplexed by her name. Was this girl related to Haymitch?

“I’ll explain later. You’re in District Thirteen, and right now, you’re in quarantine. No one’s permitted to visit you until you’ve been cleared of any and all contagious illnesses. Well, except for me,” the girl, Carolina, explained. Her hair was pulled back in a low ponytail and as I examined her face, I was surprised by how much her features resembled those of Haymitch’s.

“Where's my family? My daughters? Are they safe? And what about my sister and mother?” I asked.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to pretend here. We know Miss Primrose Everdeen is your cousin, your brothers confirmed that,” Carolina replied. So they were both alive... “Your daughters are safe and they’re here, and so is Primrose... but her mother didn’t make it. At least, not according to the records...” So Agnessa wasn’t safe. But wait, what did she mean by ‘didn’t make it’?

“Didn’t make it? Through what?” I asked her.

“Right after you and Peeta were put on the train and sent to the Capitol... an air strike was ordered on District Twelve... I’m so sorry... There is no District Twelve anymore...”

My home, and my husband, were now gone, and so was my entire world as I knew it. My brothers - two of them, at least - were alive, and I was in District Thirteen, a place that I had been led to believe was nothing but a nuclear wasteland.

No home. No Peeta. And yet, I had survived. What had I done? I thought that I was fighting for the future of my daughters, but I cost them their home and their father, and everything that they knew. What was to come next? There was no running from this, from all the mistakes I had made. People died because of me... I had never intended for any of this to happen, not to anyone. People had died...

...and it was all my fault. I had failed. So what could I do now? The answer was simply, ‘I don’t know’. I just don’t know...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for sticking with this story for as long as you have! This here is the end of ‘For Their Future’ I’m afraid, but either sometime today or within the next couple of days, look out for part two in this series, which will be titled ‘Freedom Fighters’! I can assure you, it’ll be nothing like you expect!
> 
> Once again, thanks for hanging around for this crazy ride that I call a story and I thank you all for all of the comments and kudos! The comments have not only encouraged me to write, but they have even given me ideas for various parts of the story. So if you commented, you helped me write this, and I’m very thankful for it!
> 
> Keep commenting, reviewing, sharing ideas and thoughts, and I look forward to seeing you all again soon when I begin the sequel! Until then, tioraidh airson a-nis agus chi mi a-rithist thu (goodbye for now and I’ll see you soon!)


End file.
